diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index b35c2137..adb2862c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ jobs:
         run: make lint
       - name: nccl_fr RCE gate
         run: make nccl-fr-rce-gate
+      - name: register-lint
+        run: make register-lint
       - name: test (race) + coverage-check
         run: make coverage-check
       - name: 30s fuzz (nccl_fr parser)
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index a437559b..a685ec80 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.PHONY: help build run test test-extras test-extras-sustained test-extras-fuzz test-extras-fuzz-kmsg test-extras-fuzz-journald test-extras-fuzz-nccl-fr test-extras-race bench bench-check fmt fmt-fix vet lint lint-fix tidy tidy-check mod-verify license-check license-fix govulncheck dco-check hooks clean check ci ci-fuzz-nccl-fr nccl-fr-rce-gate generate generate-check generate-fixtures coverage coverage-check doc-check smoke build-tags
+.PHONY: help build run test test-extras test-extras-sustained test-extras-fuzz test-extras-fuzz-kmsg test-extras-fuzz-journald test-extras-fuzz-nccl-fr test-extras-race bench bench-check fmt fmt-fix vet lint lint-fix tidy tidy-check mod-verify license-check license-fix govulncheck dco-check hooks clean check ci ci-fuzz-nccl-fr nccl-fr-rce-gate register-lint generate generate-check generate-fixtures coverage coverage-check doc-check smoke build-tags
 
 BIN          := tracecore
 PKG          := ./cmd/tracecore
@@ -193,7 +193,10 @@ doc-check:  ## Verify test identifiers referenced in rot-prone docs exist in the
 	@scripts/doc-check.sh
 	@scripts/alert-check.sh
 
-ci: license-check generate-check vet build-tags tidy-check mod-verify lint nccl-fr-rce-gate coverage-check ci-fuzz-nccl-fr govulncheck doc-check build  ## Everything CI runs. Run before opening a PR.
+register-lint:  ## Verify `func Register*` symbols live only under components/** (or an explicit allowlist). Enforces STRATEGY.md §"Each component owns its own Factory var".
+	@scripts/register-lint.sh
+
+ci: license-check generate-check vet build-tags tidy-check mod-verify lint nccl-fr-rce-gate register-lint coverage-check ci-fuzz-nccl-fr govulncheck doc-check build  ## Everything CI runs. Run before opening a PR.
 
 smoke: build  ## End-to-end smoke test: validate the dcgm example config, run the binary for 1.5s, kill, assert lifecycle logs appear. No hardware required; receiver degrades cleanly on macOS/CI.
 	@scripts/smoke.sh
diff --git a/docs/FOLLOWUPS.md b/docs/FOLLOWUPS.md
index 22eb98d7..d049ad70 100644
--- a/docs/FOLLOWUPS.md
+++ b/docs/FOLLOWUPS.md
@@ -550,11 +550,12 @@ predicate. Documented so they aren't re-litigated.
 
 ### Tooling
 
-- [ ] **`make register-lint`** — fail CI if `func Register*(`
-      appears outside `components/**` (or a `Register*` call to a
-      centralized registry). Converts STRATEGY.md's "Each component
-      package owns its own Factory var" rule from policy into
-      enforcement. *Target:* opportunistic, ~1 hour.
+<!-- `make register-lint` closed: shipped as scripts/register-lint.sh
++ Makefile `register-lint` target, wired into `make ci` and CI's
+`verify` job. Allowlist scopes two OTel-instrument registration
+sites (internal/telemetry/{build_info,slo}.go) that match the
+`Register*` prefix but are not the banned plugin-registry pattern. -->
+- *Closed (see comment above): `make register-lint` shipped and CI-gated.*
 - [ ] **OSS-Fuzz integration.** Tracecore fuzz targets currently run
       only inside `go test`. Continuous fuzzing is ~1 day of setup
       but premature pre-v0. *Trigger:* v0 cut — integrate or write
diff --git a/scripts/register-lint.sh b/scripts/register-lint.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..19c5d230
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/register-lint.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# register-lint.sh — enforce that `func Register*` symbols live only
+# under `components/**` (or an explicit allowlist).
+#
+# Converts STRATEGY.md §"Each component package owns its own Factory
+# var" from policy into enforcement. The hard rule there:
+#
+#   "PRs that introduce a centralized Register*() API, a global
+#    factory map outside components.yaml + the generated
+#    components.go, or anything that looks like a plugin loading
+#    mechanism MUST be rejected without an accepted RFC."
+#
+# This gate trips the moment such an API surface re-appears outside
+# `components/**`, instead of waiting for a reviewer to spot it.
+#
+# Scope: Go source files only (*.go), excluding vendor/, .git/, and
+# nested worktrees under .claude/worktrees/. Test files are in scope
+# — a test helper named `RegisterFactories` would be the same drift.
+#
+# Allowlist: files whose `Register*` functions are OTel-instrument
+# registration helpers (different verb domain — they register metric
+# instruments on a MeterProvider, not component factories). Keep this
+# list narrow; each entry needs a one-line rationale.
+#
+# Exits 0 if no violations; exits 1 with a list of offenders.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# Allowlist — paths (relative to repo root) where `func Register*` is
+# legitimate. Each entry is OTel-instrument registration on a
+# MeterProvider, NOT component-factory registration. Adding here
+# requires a one-line rationale in this list AND review attention.
+allowlist=(
+  # Registers `tracecore.build.info` observable gauge on a MeterProvider.
+  'internal/telemetry/build_info.go'
+  # Registers tracecore.exporter.failure_rate / queue.depth_ratio /
+  # component.restart_count_per_hour gauges on a MeterProvider.
+  'internal/telemetry/slo.go'
+)
+
+# Find every Go file outside vendor/, .git/, .claude/worktrees/, and
+# components/. The `find` flags exclude paths before grep ever sees them
+# — cheaper than letting grep walk and prune later. Use a while-read
+# loop instead of `mapfile` so the script runs on macOS bash 3.2.
+violations=""
+while IFS= read -r f; do
+  [ -n "$f" ] || continue
+  if ! grep -q '^func Register' "$f"; then
+    continue
+  fi
+  # Is this file allowlisted?
+  is_allowed=0
+  for allowed in "${allowlist[@]}"; do
+    if [ "$f" = "$allowed" ]; then
+      is_allowed=1
+      break
+    fi
+  done
+  if [ "$is_allowed" -eq 1 ]; then
+    continue
+  fi
+  # Capture the offending lines for the error message.
+  hits=$(grep -n '^func Register' "$f")
+  violations="${violations}${f}:\n${hits}\n"
+done < <(
+  find . -name '*.go' \
+    -not -path './.git/*' \
+    -not -path './vendor/*' \
+    -not -path './.claude/worktrees/*' \
+    -not -path './components/*' \
+    | sed 's|^\./||' \
+    | sort
+)
+
+if [ -n "$violations" ]; then
+  echo "register-lint: 'func Register*' found outside components/ (and outside the allowlist):"
+  printf '%b' "$violations" | sed 's/^/  /'
+  echo
+  echo "Per STRATEGY.md §\"Each component package owns its own Factory var\","
+  echo "a centralized Register*() API for components is banned without an RFC."
+  echo "If this is OTel-instrument registration (not component-factory"
+  echo "registration), add the file to the allowlist in scripts/register-lint.sh"
+  echo "with a one-line rationale."
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Success: count the allowlisted files for visibility.
+allow_count=${#allowlist[@]}
+echo "register-lint: no 'func Register*' outside components/ (allowlist: $allow_count file(s))"