diff --git a/docs/roadmap/implementation.md b/docs/roadmap/implementation.md
index a054911..57ab828 100644
--- a/docs/roadmap/implementation.md
+++ b/docs/roadmap/implementation.md
@@ -96,6 +96,13 @@ composition, decode, and budget codes retain their meanings.
 
 ## Stage 1 — Prepare shared recursive combination
 
+**Completed 2026-09-29.** Recursive mapping overlay now uses a private
+value-combination walk with path-aware add, combine, and replacement callbacks;
+the existing overlay adapter continues to own source origins and history, while
+strict composition remains separate. A focused table covers recursive and
+atomic replacements, empty mappings, event paths, and detached inputs. Focused
+composition/overlay/override/underlay tests and `./scripts/check.sh` passed.
+
 Inspect `internal/engine/overlay.go`, `compose.go`, `mapping_index.go`,
 `history.go`, and `internal/document/document.go`. `applyOverlay` already shares
 `mergeOverlayMappings` across underlays, main-over-underlay assembly, and selected
diff --git a/internal/engine/overlay.go b/internal/engine/overlay.go
index 55280e0..6689ed9 100644
--- a/internal/engine/overlay.go
+++ b/internal/engine/overlay.go
@@ -53,40 +53,29 @@ func (a *assemblyAccumulator) applyOverlay(overlay *document.Node, incomingOrigi
 }
 
 func mergeOverlayMappings(result *composedDocument, target, overlay *document.Node, current Path, layer Layer, recordReplacements bool, incomingOrigins map[string]Origin, index *mappingIndex) {
-	for _, incoming := range overlay.Mapping {
-		path := current.Key(incoming.Key)
-		position := index.find(target, incoming.Key)
-		if position < 0 {
-			cloned := incoming
-			cloned.Value = document.Clone(incoming.Value)
-			index.append(target, cloned)
-			collectOverlayOriginsFrom(result.origins, incomingOrigins, incoming.Value, path, layer)
-			continue
-		}
-
-		existing := target.Mapping[position].Value
-		if existing.Kind == document.Mapping && incoming.Value.Kind == document.Mapping {
-			mergeOriginContribution(result.origins, path, incomingOrigin(incomingOrigins, path, incoming.Value, layer))
-			mergeOverlayMappings(result, existing, incoming.Value, path, layer, recordReplacements, incomingOrigins, index)
-			continue
-		}
-
-		displaced := displacedOrigins(existing, result.origins, path)
-		previous := cloneOrigin(result.origins[path.String()])
-		deleteOriginSubtree(result.origins, path, existing)
-		target.Mapping[position] = incoming
-		target.Mapping[position].Value = document.Clone(incoming.Value)
-		collectOverlayOriginsFrom(result.origins, incomingOrigins, incoming.Value, path, layer)
-		if recordReplacements {
-			result.overlays = append(result.overlays, overlayRecord{
-				change: Change{
-					Path: path.clone(), Origin: incomingOrigin(incomingOrigins, path, incoming.Value, layer),
-					Previous: previousOrigins(previous),
-				},
-				displaced: displaced,
-			})
-		}
-	}
+	mergeRecursiveMappings(target, overlay, current, index, recursiveMergeHooks{
+		added: func(path Path, incoming *document.Node) {
+			collectOverlayOriginsFrom(result.origins, incomingOrigins, incoming, path, layer)
+		},
+		combined: func(path Path, incoming *document.Node) {
+			mergeOriginContribution(result.origins, path, incomingOrigin(incomingOrigins, path, incoming, layer))
+		},
+		replaced: func(path Path, existing, incoming *document.Node) {
+			displaced := displacedOrigins(existing, result.origins, path)
+			previous := cloneOrigin(result.origins[path.String()])
+			deleteOriginSubtree(result.origins, path, existing)
+			collectOverlayOriginsFrom(result.origins, incomingOrigins, incoming, path, layer)
+			if recordReplacements {
+				result.overlays = append(result.overlays, overlayRecord{
+					change: Change{
+						Path: path.clone(), Origin: incomingOrigin(incomingOrigins, path, incoming, layer),
+						Previous: previousOrigins(previous),
+					},
+					displaced: displaced,
+				})
+			}
+		},
+	})
 }
 
 func collectOverlayOrigins(origins map[string]Origin, node *document.Node, path Path, layer Layer) {
diff --git a/internal/engine/recursive_merge.go b/internal/engine/recursive_merge.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a03819e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/engine/recursive_merge.go
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+package engine
+
+import "gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/ConfigKit/internal/document"
+
+// recursiveMergeHooks lets an assembly owner account for the values changed by
+// a recursive mapping overlay without making source roles part of the merge.
+// Hooks run before replacement and receive the still-owned incoming subtree.
+type recursiveMergeHooks struct {
+	added    func(Path, *document.Node)
+	combined func(Path, *document.Node)
+	replaced func(Path, *document.Node, *document.Node)
+}
+
+// mergeRecursiveMappings changes an owned mapping and never aliases incoming
+// values into it. Entry order follows the target, then new incoming entries.
+func mergeRecursiveMappings(target, incoming *document.Node, current Path, index *mappingIndex, hooks recursiveMergeHooks) {
+	for _, entry := range incoming.Mapping {
+		path := current.Key(entry.Key)
+		position := index.find(target, entry.Key)
+		if position < 0 {
+			cloned := entry
+			cloned.Value = document.Clone(entry.Value)
+			index.append(target, cloned)
+			if hooks.added != nil {
+				hooks.added(path, entry.Value)
+			}
+			continue
+		}
+
+		existing := target.Mapping[position].Value
+		if existing.Kind == document.Mapping && entry.Value.Kind == document.Mapping {
+			if hooks.combined != nil {
+				hooks.combined(path, entry.Value)
+			}
+			mergeRecursiveMappings(existing, entry.Value, path, index, hooks)
+			continue
+		}
+
+		if hooks.replaced != nil {
+			hooks.replaced(path, existing, entry.Value)
+		}
+		target.Mapping[position] = entry
+		target.Mapping[position].Value = document.Clone(entry.Value)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/engine/recursive_merge_test.go b/internal/engine/recursive_merge_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..47592c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/engine/recursive_merge_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+package engine
+
+import (
+	"reflect"
+	"testing"
+
+	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/ConfigKit/internal/document"
+)
+
+func TestRecursiveMappingMergePreservesValuesPathsAndInputs(t *testing.T) {
+	type expectedNode struct {
+		path    Path
+		kind    document.Kind
+		text    string
+		entries int
+	}
+	tests := []struct {
+		name, base, incoming string
+		want                 []expectedNode
+		events               []string
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "nested mappings", base: "shared: {kept: base, changed: old}\n", incoming: "shared: {changed: new, added: child}\n",
+			want: []expectedNode{
+				{path: Keys("shared"), kind: document.Mapping, entries: 3},
+				{path: Keys("shared", "kept"), kind: document.String, text: "base"},
+				{path: Keys("shared", "changed"), kind: document.String, text: "new"},
+				{path: Keys("shared", "added"), kind: document.String, text: "child"},
+			},
+			events: []string{"combine:/shared", "replace:/shared/changed", "add:/shared/added"},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "sequence replacement", base: "value: [old]\n", incoming: "value: []\n",
+			want:   []expectedNode{{path: Keys("value"), kind: document.Sequence}},
+			events: []string{"replace:/value"},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "scalar replacement", base: "value: old\n", incoming: "value: new\n",
+			want:   []expectedNode{{path: Keys("value"), kind: document.String, text: "new"}},
+			events: []string{"replace:/value"},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "null replacement", base: "value: old\n", incoming: "value: null\n",
+			want:   []expectedNode{{path: Keys("value"), kind: document.Null}},
+			events: []string{"replace:/value"},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "empty mapping retains children", base: "shared: {kept: base}\n", incoming: "shared: {}\n",
+			want: []expectedNode{
+				{path: Keys("shared"), kind: document.Mapping, entries: 1},
+				{path: Keys("shared", "kept"), kind: document.String, text: "base"},
+			},
+			events: []string{"combine:/shared"},
+		},
+	}
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			base := parseCompositionDocument(t, "source-1", test.base)
+			incoming := parseCompositionDocument(t, "source-2", test.incoming)
+			baseBefore, incomingBefore := document.Clone(base), document.Clone(incoming)
+			owned := document.Clone(base)
+			var events []string
+			mergeRecursiveMappings(owned, incoming, Path{}, new(mappingIndex), recursiveMergeHooks{
+				added: func(path Path, _ *document.Node) { events = append(events, "add:"+path.String()) },
+				combined: func(path Path, _ *document.Node) {
+					events = append(events, "combine:"+path.String())
+				},
+				replaced: func(path Path, _, _ *document.Node) {
+					events = append(events, "replace:"+path.String())
+				},
+			})
+			if !reflect.DeepEqual(events, test.events) {
+				t.Fatalf("merge events = %#v, want %#v", events, test.events)
+			}
+			for _, expected := range test.want {
+				node, found := documentAtPath(owned, expected.path)
+				if !found || node.Kind != expected.kind || node.Text != expected.text || len(node.Mapping) != expected.entries {
+					t.Errorf("merged %s = %#v, found %v", expected.path.String(), node, found)
+				}
+			}
+			if !reflect.DeepEqual(base, baseBefore) || !reflect.DeepEqual(incoming, incomingBefore) {
+				t.Fatal("merge changed an input")
+			}
+			owned.Mapping[0].Value.Location.SourceID = "changed"
+			if !reflect.DeepEqual(base, baseBefore) || !reflect.DeepEqual(incoming, incomingBefore) {
+				t.Fatal("merged result aliases an input")
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}