diff --git a/AGRARIAN_DEVELOPMENT_ROADMAP.md b/AGRARIAN_DEVELOPMENT_ROADMAP.md
index 891ba94..29acc7e 100644
--- a/AGRARIAN_DEVELOPMENT_ROADMAP.md
+++ b/AGRARIAN_DEVELOPMENT_ROADMAP.md
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ Remaining version 0.01 cleanup before moving deeper into new gameplay:
 - [x] Define GitHub/LFS free-tier storage guardrails.
 - [x] Define backup expectations for NAS and repository.
 - [x] Implement Linastorage incremental project backup job.
-- [ ] Implement quiesced VM backup job for Windows-Builder and Ubuntu-Codex.
+- [x] Implement quiesced VM backup job for Windows-Builder and Ubuntu-Codex.
 - [ ] Create repeatable dedicated server build instructions.
 - [~] Finish required plugin documentation.
 - [ ] Confirm the project opens cleanly from a fresh checkout, not just the current working share.
@@ -313,7 +313,7 @@ Current tooling decisions:
 - [x] Decide and document VM snapshot cadence before major engine/tool changes.
 - [x] Define Unraid share backup policy.
 - [x] Implement Linastorage incremental project backup job with deleted-file retention.
-- [ ] Implement quiesced VM backup job for Windows-Builder and Ubuntu-Codex.
+- [x] Implement quiesced VM backup job for Windows-Builder and Ubuntu-Codex.
 - [ ] Add recurring restore-test log for project and VM backups.
 - [ ] Define GitHub branch protection and review rules.
 - [ ] Add a build log retention policy.
@@ -1415,7 +1415,7 @@ Earliest incomplete foundation items:
 - [x] Define GitHub/LFS free-tier storage guardrails.
 - [x] Define backup expectations for NAS and repository.
 - [x] Implement Linastorage incremental project backup job.
-- [ ] Implement quiesced VM backup job for Windows-Builder and Ubuntu-Codex.
+- [x] Implement quiesced VM backup job for Windows-Builder and Ubuntu-Codex.
 - [ ] Create repeatable dedicated server build instructions.
 - [~] Finish required plugin documentation.
 - [ ] Confirm project opens cleanly from a fresh checkout.
@@ -1433,4 +1433,4 @@ Earliest incomplete foundation items:
 
 Immediate next item:
 
-- [ ] Implement quiesced VM backup job for Windows-Builder and Ubuntu-Codex.
+- [ ] Create repeatable dedicated server build instructions.
diff --git a/Docs/Ops/AgrarianVmBackupRunbook.md b/Docs/Ops/AgrarianVmBackupRunbook.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aa9da42
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Docs/Ops/AgrarianVmBackupRunbook.md
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+# Agrarian VM Backup Runbook
+
+Agrarian VM backups run on Unraid `DevBox` and protect the VM definitions,
+NVRAM, and virtual disks for the development/build machines.
+
+## VMs
+
+- `Windows-Builder`
+- `Ubuntu-Codex`
+
+## Paths
+
+- Persistent script: `/boot/config/custom/agrarian-vm-backup.sh`
+- Runtime helper path: `/usr/local/sbin/agrarian-vm-backup`
+- Backup root: `/mnt/user/backups/agrarian-game/vms`
+- Snapshots: `/mnt/user/backups/agrarian-game/vms/snapshots`
+- Cron definition: `/boot/config/plugins/dynamix/agrarian-vm-backup.cron`
+
+## Safety Model
+
+The scheduled job is safe by default. It skips VMs that are currently running,
+because copying a live VM disk image is not considered a reliable backup.
+
+For a real VM backup during a maintenance window, run:
+
+```bash
+/boot/config/custom/agrarian-vm-backup.sh --shutdown-running
+```
+
+If running directly from the persistent flash path fails because `/boot` is
+mounted noexec, invoke it through bash:
+
+```bash
+/bin/bash /boot/config/custom/agrarian-vm-backup.sh --shutdown-running
+```
+
+That command gracefully shuts down any running target VM, backs up its XML,
+NVRAM, Unraid VM/share config, and compressed `qcow2` disk image, then starts
+the VM again after the backup completes.
+
+Preview what would happen:
+
+```bash
+/bin/bash /boot/config/custom/agrarian-vm-backup.sh --dry-run
+```
+
+Back up one VM during maintenance:
+
+```bash
+/bin/bash /boot/config/custom/agrarian-vm-backup.sh --shutdown-running --vm Ubuntu-Codex
+```
+
+## Schedule
+
+The installed cron job runs weekly. Without `--shutdown-running`, it only backs
+up VMs that are already off. This avoids an unexpected Windows build machine or
+Ubuntu-Codex outage during active work.
+
+## Retention
+
+Snapshots older than 120 days are pruned after a successful backup. Manual
+pre-change backups can be copied or renamed before pruning if they need to be
+kept longer.
+
+## Restore Notes
+
+Each snapshot contains:
+
+- `MANIFEST.txt`
+- `SHA256SUMS`
+- VM XML under `vms/<VM>/xml/`
+- NVRAM files under `vms/<VM>/nvram/` when present
+- compressed `qcow2` disk images under `vms/<VM>/disks/`
+- selected Unraid config under `unraid-config/`
+
+Verify a snapshot:
+
+```bash
+cd /mnt/user/backups/agrarian-game/vms/snapshots/<timestamp>
+sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS
+```
+
+Inspect a backed-up disk:
+
+```bash
+qemu-img info vms/Ubuntu-Codex/disks/hdc-vdisk1.img.qcow2
+```
+
+Restore should be done to a new VM or a test path first. Do not overwrite a
+working VM disk until the backup has been verified and the original disk has
+been preserved.
diff --git a/Operations/unraid/agrarian-vm-backup.cron b/Operations/unraid/agrarian-vm-backup.cron
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8f21011
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Operations/unraid/agrarian-vm-backup.cron
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# Weekly safe Agrarian VM backup check.
+# Running VMs are skipped unless the script is invoked manually with --shutdown-running.
+15 3 * * 0 /bin/bash /boot/config/custom/agrarian-vm-backup.sh >> /var/log/agrarian-vm-backup.log 2>&1
diff --git a/Scripts/agrarian_vm_backup_unraid.sh b/Scripts/agrarian_vm_backup_unraid.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..db568c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Scripts/agrarian_vm_backup_unraid.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,300 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -Eeuo pipefail
+
+umask 077
+
+VM_NAMES_DEFAULT=("Windows-Builder" "Ubuntu-Codex")
+BACKUP_ROOT="${AGRARIAN_VM_BACKUP_ROOT:-/mnt/user/backups/agrarian-game/vms}"
+SNAPSHOT_ROOT="$BACKUP_ROOT/snapshots"
+LOCK_FILE="${AGRARIAN_VM_BACKUP_LOCK:-/var/lock/agrarian-vm-backup.lock}"
+SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT_SECONDS="${AGRARIAN_VM_SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT_SECONDS:-900}"
+RETENTION_DAYS="${AGRARIAN_VM_BACKUP_RETENTION_DAYS:-120}"
+
+ALLOW_SHUTDOWN=0
+DRY_RUN=0
+START_AFTER=1
+VM_NAMES=("${VM_NAMES_DEFAULT[@]}")
+STARTED_BY_SCRIPT=()
+BACKED_UP_COUNT=0
+
+log() {
+  printf '[%s] %s\n' "$(date -Is)" "$*"
+}
+
+die() {
+  log "ERROR: $*"
+  exit 1
+}
+
+usage() {
+  cat <<'USAGE'
+Usage: agrarian_vm_backup_unraid.sh [--shutdown-running] [--no-start-after] [--dry-run] [--vm NAME ...]
+
+Backs up Agrarian development VMs on Unraid to /mnt/user/backups.
+
+Default behavior is safe for scheduled runs: running VMs are skipped. Use
+--shutdown-running during a maintenance window to gracefully stop running VMs,
+back them up, and start them again after a successful backup.
+USAGE
+}
+
+parse_args() {
+  local custom_vms=()
+
+  while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
+    case "$1" in
+      --shutdown-running)
+        ALLOW_SHUTDOWN=1
+        ;;
+      --no-start-after)
+        START_AFTER=0
+        ;;
+      --dry-run)
+        DRY_RUN=1
+        ;;
+      --vm)
+        shift
+        [[ $# -gt 0 ]] || die "--vm requires a VM name"
+        custom_vms+=("$1")
+        ;;
+      -h|--help)
+        usage
+        exit 0
+        ;;
+      *)
+        die "Unknown argument: $1"
+        ;;
+    esac
+    shift
+  done
+
+  if [[ "${#custom_vms[@]}" -gt 0 ]]; then
+    VM_NAMES=("${custom_vms[@]}")
+  fi
+}
+
+require_tools() {
+  for tool in virsh qemu-img sha256sum find; do
+    command -v "$tool" >/dev/null || die "$tool is required"
+  done
+}
+
+vm_state() {
+  virsh domstate "$1" 2>/dev/null | awk 'NR == 1 {print $0}'
+}
+
+wait_for_shutdown() {
+  local vm="$1"
+  local waited=0
+
+  while [[ "$(vm_state "$vm")" != "shut off" ]]; do
+    if (( waited >= SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT_SECONDS )); then
+      die "$vm did not shut down within ${SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT_SECONDS}s"
+    fi
+    sleep 5
+    waited=$((waited + 5))
+  done
+}
+
+shutdown_vm_for_backup() {
+  local vm="$1"
+  local state="$2"
+
+  [[ "$state" == "running" ]] || return 0
+
+  if [[ "$ALLOW_SHUTDOWN" != "1" ]]; then
+    log "Skipping running VM without --shutdown-running: $vm"
+    return 1
+  fi
+
+  log "Gracefully shutting down $vm for backup"
+
+  if [[ "$DRY_RUN" == "1" ]]; then
+    log "Dry run: would shut down $vm"
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  virsh shutdown "$vm"
+  wait_for_shutdown "$vm"
+  STARTED_BY_SCRIPT+=("$vm")
+}
+
+restart_vms_started_by_script() {
+  [[ "$START_AFTER" == "1" ]] || return 0
+
+  local vm
+  for vm in "${STARTED_BY_SCRIPT[@]}"; do
+    if [[ "$(vm_state "$vm")" == "shut off" ]]; then
+      log "Starting $vm after backup"
+      virsh start "$vm"
+    fi
+  done
+}
+
+disk_sources_for_vm() {
+  local vm="$1"
+
+  virsh domblklist "$vm" --details \
+    | awk '$1 == "file" && $2 == "disk" && $4 != "-" {print $3 "\t" $4}'
+}
+
+copy_nvram_if_present() {
+  local vm="$1"
+  local dest="$2"
+  local nvram
+
+  nvram="$(virsh dumpxml "$vm" | sed -n "s:.*<nvram[^>]*>\\(.*\\)</nvram>.*:\\1:p" | head -n 1)"
+  [[ -n "$nvram" && -f "$nvram" ]] || return 0
+
+  mkdir -p "$dest/nvram"
+  cp -a "$nvram" "$dest/nvram/"
+}
+
+backup_vm() {
+  local vm="$1"
+  local snapshot_dir="$2"
+  local state
+
+  state="$(vm_state "$vm")"
+  [[ -n "$state" ]] || die "VM not found: $vm"
+
+  log "Preparing VM backup: $vm ($state)"
+
+  if ! shutdown_vm_for_backup "$vm" "$state"; then
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  local vm_dir="$snapshot_dir/vms/$vm"
+  mkdir -p "$vm_dir/disks" "$vm_dir/xml"
+
+  log "Saving VM XML: $vm"
+  virsh dumpxml "$vm" > "$vm_dir/xml/$vm.xml"
+  copy_nvram_if_present "$vm" "$vm_dir"
+
+  local disk_target disk_source disk_dest disk_base
+  while IFS=$'\t' read -r disk_target disk_source; do
+    [[ -n "$disk_source" ]] || continue
+    [[ -f "$disk_source" ]] || die "Disk source not found for $vm: $disk_source"
+
+    disk_base="$(basename "$disk_source")"
+    disk_dest="$vm_dir/disks/${disk_target}-${disk_base}.qcow2"
+
+    log "Converting disk for $vm: $disk_source -> $disk_dest"
+
+    if [[ "$DRY_RUN" == "1" ]]; then
+      log "Dry run: would qemu-img convert $disk_source"
+      continue
+    fi
+
+    qemu-img convert -p -O qcow2 -c "$disk_source" "$disk_dest"
+    qemu-img info "$disk_dest" > "$disk_dest.info.txt"
+  done < <(disk_sources_for_vm "$vm")
+
+  BACKED_UP_COUNT=$((BACKED_UP_COUNT + 1))
+}
+
+write_manifest() {
+  local snapshot_dir="$1"
+  local timestamp="$2"
+
+  {
+    echo "backup_timestamp=$timestamp"
+    echo "host=$(hostname)"
+    echo "backup_root=$BACKUP_ROOT"
+    echo "allow_shutdown=$ALLOW_SHUTDOWN"
+    echo "start_after=$START_AFTER"
+    echo
+    echo "[vms]"
+    printf '%s\n' "${VM_NAMES[@]}"
+    echo
+    echo "[virsh_list]"
+    virsh list --all
+    echo
+    echo "[disk_usage]"
+    df -h /mnt/user /mnt/cache 2>/dev/null || true
+  } > "$snapshot_dir/MANIFEST.txt"
+
+  mkdir -p "$snapshot_dir/unraid-config"
+  cp -a /boot/config/domain.cfg "$snapshot_dir/unraid-config/" 2>/dev/null || true
+  cp -a /boot/config/vfio-pci.cfg "$snapshot_dir/unraid-config/" 2>/dev/null || true
+  cp -a /boot/config/shares "$snapshot_dir/unraid-config/" 2>/dev/null || true
+
+  (
+    cd "$snapshot_dir"
+    find . -type f ! -name SHA256SUMS -print0 | sort -z | xargs -0 sha256sum
+  ) > "$snapshot_dir/SHA256SUMS"
+}
+
+verify_snapshot() {
+  local snapshot_dir="$1"
+
+  [[ "$DRY_RUN" == "1" ]] && return 0
+
+  (
+    cd "$snapshot_dir"
+    sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS >/dev/null
+  )
+}
+
+prune_old_snapshots() {
+  [[ "$DRY_RUN" == "1" ]] && return 0
+  [[ -d "$SNAPSHOT_ROOT" ]] || return 0
+
+  find "$SNAPSHOT_ROOT" -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 -type d -mtime "+$RETENTION_DAYS" -print0 \
+    | while IFS= read -r -d '' old; do
+        log "Pruning old VM backup: $old"
+        rm -rf -- "$old"
+      done
+}
+
+main() {
+  parse_args "$@"
+  require_tools
+
+  exec 9>"$LOCK_FILE"
+  flock -n 9 || {
+    log "Another Agrarian VM backup is already running; skipping"
+    exit 0
+  }
+
+  trap restart_vms_started_by_script EXIT
+
+  local timestamp snapshot_dir incomplete_dir final_dir
+  timestamp="$(date +'%Y%m%d-%H%M%S')"
+  incomplete_dir="$SNAPSHOT_ROOT/.incomplete-$timestamp"
+  final_dir="$SNAPSHOT_ROOT/$timestamp"
+
+  mkdir -p "$SNAPSHOT_ROOT"
+  rm -rf -- "$incomplete_dir" "$final_dir"
+  mkdir -p "$incomplete_dir"
+
+  log "Starting Agrarian VM backup: $timestamp"
+
+  local vm
+  for vm in "${VM_NAMES[@]}"; do
+    backup_vm "$vm" "$incomplete_dir"
+  done
+
+  if [[ "$BACKED_UP_COUNT" == "0" ]]; then
+    log "No VMs were eligible for backup; no snapshot published"
+    rm -rf -- "$incomplete_dir"
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  write_manifest "$incomplete_dir" "$timestamp"
+  verify_snapshot "$incomplete_dir"
+
+  if [[ "$DRY_RUN" == "1" ]]; then
+    log "Dry run complete; no snapshot published"
+    rm -rf -- "$incomplete_dir"
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  mv "$incomplete_dir" "$final_dir"
+  printf '%s\n' "$timestamp" > "$BACKUP_ROOT/LATEST.txt"
+  prune_old_snapshots
+
+  log "Agrarian VM backup completed: $final_dir"
+}
+
+main "$@"