diff --git a/client/scripts/net/npc_service.gd b/client/scripts/net/npc_service.gd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0feea5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/scripts/net/npc_service.gd
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+class_name NpcService
+extends RefCounted
+## The client /npc/speak loop (§6). Posts persona-free request (npc_id +
+## disposition + client-computed available_moves + utterance) through an injected
+## transport, degrades to an authored NPC fallback on ANY failure, extracts tags
+## with TagExtractor, validates moves against available_moves (MoveValidator),
+## and returns an NpcResult. It applies NO state — the caller runs MoveApplier,
+## keeping state writes explicit (§2).
+
+const ENDING_MOVES := ["end_conversation", "become_hostile"]
+
+var _transport: DmTransport
+var _fallback: FallbackLibrary
+
+
+func _init(transport: DmTransport, fallback: FallbackLibrary) -> void:
+	_transport = transport
+	_fallback = fallback
+
+
+func speak(npc_id: String, utterance: String, canon_log: CanonLog,
+		disposition: int, available_moves: Array) -> NpcResult:
+	var resp: DmResponse = await _transport.post_json("/npc/speak", {
+		"canon_log": canon_log.to_dict(),
+		"npc_id": npc_id,
+		"disposition": disposition,
+		"available_moves": available_moves,
+		"utterance": utterance,
+	})
+	if not resp.transport_ok or resp.status != 200 \
+			or typeof(resp.body) != TYPE_DICTIONARY or not resp.body.has("prose"):
+		return NpcResult.fallback(_fallback.npc_line())
+
+	var extracted := TagExtractor.extract(str(resp.body["prose"]))
+	var moves: Array = extracted["moves"].duplicate()
+	# Fold the [ADJUST_DISPOSITION:n] alias into the move stream so the validator
+	# sees one uniform shape (§ tag convention).
+	for delta in extracted["dispositions"]:
+		moves.append({"name": "adjust_disposition", "args": [str(delta)]})
+
+	var checked := MoveValidator.validate(moves, available_moves)
+	var ends := false
+	for m in checked["valid"]:
+		if m["name"] in ENDING_MOVES:
+			ends = true
+	return NpcResult.new(
+		extracted["clean_text"], extracted["facts"],
+		checked["valid"], checked["dropped"], ends, false)
diff --git a/client/tests/unit/test_npc_service.gd b/client/tests/unit/test_npc_service.gd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e47578b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/tests/unit/test_npc_service.gd
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+# client/tests/unit/test_npc_service.gd
+extends "res://addons/gut/test.gd"
+
+const NpcService = preload("res://scripts/net/npc_service.gd")
+const DmResponse = preload("res://scripts/net/dm_response.gd")
+const FallbackLibrary = preload("res://scripts/net/fallback_library.gd")
+const FakeDmTransport = preload("res://tests/doubles/fake_transport.gd")
+
+var _fallback
+
+
+func before_each():
+	_fallback = FallbackLibrary.new(
+		"res://content/fallback/missing.json", "res://content/fallback/missing.json")
+
+
+func _svc(resp) -> Dictionary:
+	var t = FakeDmTransport.new()
+	t.set_response(resp)
+	return {"svc": NpcService.new(t, _fallback), "transport": t}
+
+
+func _speak(pair, available):
+	return await pair["svc"].speak("fenn", "what happened?", CanonLog.new(), -10, available)
+
+
+func test_posts_full_request_body():
+	var pair = _svc(DmResponse.ok(200, {"prose": "Aye."}))
+	await _speak(pair, ["refuse"])
+	assert_eq(pair["transport"].last_path, "/npc/speak")
+	var body = pair["transport"].last_body
+	assert_eq(body["npc_id"], "fenn")
+	assert_eq(body["disposition"], -10)
+	assert_eq(body["utterance"], "what happened?")
+	assert_true(body.has("available_moves"))
+	assert_true(body.has("canon_log"))
+
+
+func test_valid_move_kept_prose_cleaned():
+	var prose = "Aye, I knew them. [MOVE: reveal(varrell_twins)]"
+	var pair = _svc(DmResponse.ok(200, {"prose": prose}))
+	var r = await _speak(pair, ["reveal(varrell_twins)", "refuse"])
+	assert_false(r.degraded)
+	assert_eq(r.display_text, "Aye, I knew them.")
+	assert_eq(r.valid_moves.size(), 1)
+	assert_eq(r.dropped_moves.size(), 0)
+
+
+func test_illegal_move_dropped_prose_kept():
+	var prose = "No. [MOVE: offer_quest(some_other)]"
+	var pair = _svc(DmResponse.ok(200, {"prose": prose}))
+	var r = await _speak(pair, ["offer_quest(find_the_ledger)", "refuse"])
+	assert_eq(r.display_text, "No.")
+	assert_eq(r.valid_moves.size(), 0)
+	assert_eq(r.dropped_moves.size(), 1)
+
+
+func test_adjust_disposition_alias_is_validated():
+	var prose = "Fine. [ADJUST_DISPOSITION: +5]"
+	var pair = _svc(DmResponse.ok(200, {"prose": prose}))
+	var r = await _speak(pair, ["adjust_disposition"])
+	assert_eq(r.valid_moves.size(), 1)
+	assert_eq(r.valid_moves[0]["name"], "adjust_disposition")
+	assert_eq(r.valid_moves[0]["args"], ["5"])
+
+
+func test_end_conversation_sets_flag():
+	var prose = "We're done. [MOVE: end_conversation()]"
+	var pair = _svc(DmResponse.ok(200, {"prose": prose}))
+	var r = await _speak(pair, ["end_conversation"])
+	assert_true(r.ends_conversation)
+
+
+func test_facts_harvested():
+	var prose = "The bridge fell. [FACT: the eastern bridge is out]"
+	var pair = _svc(DmResponse.ok(200, {"prose": prose}))
+	var r = await _speak(pair, ["refuse"])
+	assert_eq(r.facts, ["the eastern bridge is out"])
+
+
+func test_502_degrades_no_moves():
+	var pair = _svc(DmResponse.ok(502, {"detail": {"model_error": "boom"}}))
+	var r = await _speak(pair, ["refuse"])
+	assert_true(r.degraded)
+	assert_eq(r.display_text, FallbackLibrary.NPC_LAST_RESORT)
+	assert_eq(r.valid_moves, [])
+
+
+func test_transport_failure_degrades():
+	var pair = _svc(DmResponse.failed("refused"))
+	var r = await _speak(pair, ["refuse"])
+	assert_true(r.degraded)