diff --git a/SVSim.EmulatedEntrypoint/Matching/InProcessPairUp.cs b/SVSim.EmulatedEntrypoint/Matching/InProcessPairUp.cs
index d611ddf..6999bdf 100644
--- a/SVSim.EmulatedEntrypoint/Matching/InProcessPairUp.cs
+++ b/SVSim.EmulatedEntrypoint/Matching/InProcessPairUp.cs
@@ -1,64 +1,129 @@
 using System.Collections.Concurrent;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
 using SVSim.BattleNode.Bridge;
 using SVSim.BattleNode.Sessions;
+using SVSim.Database.Models.Config;
+using SVSim.Database.Services;
 
 namespace SVSim.EmulatedEntrypoint.Matching;
 
 /// <summary>
-/// In-process FCFS pair-up: one waiting slot per mode, plus a per-viewer cache of
-/// resolved matches for the first arriver's next poll (consume-on-read).
+/// In-process pair-up service: one slot per mode, FCFS pairing for PvP, plus an
+/// AI-fallback branch for modes whose <see cref="ModePolicy"/> is
+/// <see cref="PolicyKind.PvpFirstThenAiFallback"/>. The proper matching-queue API
+/// is a separate spec; this is the Phase-2 + Phase-3 placeholder.
 /// </summary>
+/// <remarks>
+/// Singleton (process-wide slot state) consuming a scoped <see cref="IGameConfigService"/>
+/// via <see cref="IServiceScopeFactory"/>. The config read is cheap — one DB read per
+/// pair-up call — and avoids caching policy decisions across config edits.
+/// </remarks>
 public sealed class InProcessPairUp : IMatchingPairUpService
 {
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Safety backstop: if a waiter has been parked for more than this and a new
+    /// arriver shows up, treat the slot as empty (the original waiter has
+    /// presumably stopped polling). Well above the AI-fallback threshold so it
+    /// only fires for PvpOnly modes.
+    /// </summary>
+    private static readonly TimeSpan StaleWaiterEvictionAge = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(5);
+
     private readonly IMatchingBridge _bridge;
+    private readonly ModePolicyRegistry _policies;
+    private readonly IServiceScopeFactory _scopeFactory;
+    private readonly TimeProvider _clock;
     private readonly ConcurrentDictionary<string, ModeSlot> _slots = new();
 
-    public InProcessPairUp(IMatchingBridge bridge)
+    public InProcessPairUp(
+        IMatchingBridge bridge,
+        ModePolicyRegistry policies,
+        IServiceScopeFactory scopeFactory,
+        TimeProvider clock)
     {
         _bridge = bridge;
+        _policies = policies;
+        _scopeFactory = scopeFactory;
+        _clock = clock;
     }
 
     public Task<PairUpResult?> TryPairAsync(string mode, BattlePlayer player, CancellationToken ct)
     {
+        var policy = _policies.For(mode);
+        var threshold = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(GetThresholdSeconds());
         var slot = _slots.GetOrAdd(mode, _ => new ModeSlot());
+
         lock (slot.Lock)
         {
             // 1. Already-resolved match cached for this viewer? Consume + return.
-            //    This caller is the FIRST arriver picking up their cached pair — owner role.
+            //    The caller is the FIRST arriver picking up their cached pair — owner role.
             if (slot.Resolved.TryGetValue(player.ViewerId, out var cached))
             {
                 slot.Resolved.Remove(player.ViewerId);
-                return Task.FromResult<PairUpResult?>(new PairUpResult(cached, IsOwner: true, IsAiFallback: false));
+                return Task.FromResult<PairUpResult?>(
+                    new PairUpResult(cached.Match, IsOwner: true, IsAiFallback: cached.IsAiFallback));
             }
 
-            // 2. Someone already waiting in this slot? Pair with them.
-            //    This caller is the SECOND arriver who triggered the pair — joiner role.
-            if (slot.Waiting is not null)
+            // 2. Stale waiter eviction backstop.
+            if (slot.Waiting is not null && slot.WaitingSince is { } since
+                && _clock.GetUtcNow() - since > StaleWaiterEvictionAge)
+            {
+                slot.Waiting = null;
+                slot.WaitingSince = null;
+            }
+
+            // 3. Different viewer already waiting? Pair them.
+            if (slot.Waiting is not null && slot.Waiting.ViewerId != player.ViewerId)
             {
-                if (slot.Waiting.ViewerId == player.ViewerId)
-                {
-                    // Same viewer polled twice while parked — keep them parked.
-                    return Task.FromResult<PairUpResult?>(null);
-                }
                 var p1 = slot.Waiting;
                 var p2 = player;
                 slot.Waiting = null;
+                slot.WaitingSince = null;
                 var match = _bridge.RegisterBattle(p1, p2, BattleType.Pvp);
-                // Cache the result for the FIRST arriver's next poll (consume-on-read).
-                slot.Resolved[p1.ViewerId] = match;
-                return Task.FromResult<PairUpResult?>(new PairUpResult(match, IsOwner: false, IsAiFallback: false));
+                // Cache for the FIRST arriver's next poll (consume-on-read).
+                slot.Resolved[p1.ViewerId] = (match, IsAiFallback: false);
+                return Task.FromResult<PairUpResult?>(
+                    new PairUpResult(match, IsOwner: false, IsAiFallback: false));
             }
 
-            // 3. Empty slot — park this caller.
-            slot.Waiting = player;
+            // 4. Caller IS the waiter AND policy permits AI fallback AND threshold elapsed?
+            if (slot.Waiting?.ViewerId == player.ViewerId
+                && policy.Kind == PolicyKind.PvpFirstThenAiFallback
+                && slot.WaitingSince is { } parkedAt
+                && _clock.GetUtcNow() - parkedAt >= threshold)
+            {
+                slot.Waiting = null;
+                slot.WaitingSince = null;
+                var match = _bridge.RegisterBattle(player, null, BattleType.Bot);
+                return Task.FromResult<PairUpResult?>(
+                    new PairUpResult(match, IsOwner: true, IsAiFallback: true));
+            }
+
+            // 5. Park (first time only — preserve WaitingSince across sub-threshold re-polls).
+            if (slot.Waiting is null)
+            {
+                slot.Waiting = player;
+                slot.WaitingSince = _clock.GetUtcNow();
+            }
             return Task.FromResult<PairUpResult?>(null);
         }
     }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Resolves the current AI-fallback threshold from the scoped
+    /// <see cref="IGameConfigService"/>. Singleton-safe via per-call scope creation.
+    /// </summary>
+    private int GetThresholdSeconds()
+    {
+        using var scope = _scopeFactory.CreateScope();
+        var config = scope.ServiceProvider.GetRequiredService<IGameConfigService>();
+        return config.Get<MatchingConfig>().RankBattleAiFallbackThresholdSeconds;
+    }
+
     private sealed class ModeSlot
     {
         public BattlePlayer? Waiting { get; set; }
-        public Dictionary<long, PendingMatch> Resolved { get; } = new();
+        public DateTimeOffset? WaitingSince { get; set; }
+        public Dictionary<long, (PendingMatch Match, bool IsAiFallback)> Resolved { get; } = new();
         public object Lock { get; } = new();
     }
 }
diff --git a/SVSim.EmulatedEntrypoint/Program.cs b/SVSim.EmulatedEntrypoint/Program.cs
index 12492fd..2c927e7 100644
--- a/SVSim.EmulatedEntrypoint/Program.cs
+++ b/SVSim.EmulatedEntrypoint/Program.cs
@@ -128,9 +128,15 @@ public class Program
             // in appsettings*.json — see appsettings.Development.json for SoloDefaultsToScripted.
             builder.Configuration.GetSection("BattleNode").Bind(opt);
         });
-        // In-process FCFS pair-up for TK2 PvP /do_matching. Singleton: per-mode state is
-        // process-wide. Proper queue API is a separate spec; this is enough to actually
-        // pair two viewers polling the same mode end-to-end.
+        // In-process FCFS pair-up for TK2 PvP /do_matching, plus rank-battle's AI-fallback
+        // branch. Singleton: per-mode state is process-wide. Proper queue API is a separate
+        // spec; this is enough to actually pair two viewers polling the same mode end-to-end.
+        builder.Services.AddSingleton(new ModePolicyRegistry(new[]
+        {
+            new ModePolicy("arena_two_pick_battle", PolicyKind.PvpOnly),
+            new ModePolicy("rotation_rank_battle", PolicyKind.PvpFirstThenAiFallback),
+            new ModePolicy("unlimited_rank_battle", PolicyKind.PvpFirstThenAiFallback),
+        }));
         builder.Services.AddSingleton<IMatchingPairUpService, InProcessPairUp>();
 
         builder.Services.AddTransient<ShadowverseTranslationMiddleware>();
diff --git a/SVSim.UnitTests/Matching/InProcessPairUpRankFallbackTests.cs b/SVSim.UnitTests/Matching/InProcessPairUpRankFallbackTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6c3da6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/SVSim.UnitTests/Matching/InProcessPairUpRankFallbackTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.Time.Testing;
+using Moq;
+using NUnit.Framework;
+using SVSim.BattleNode.Bridge;
+using SVSim.BattleNode.Sessions;
+using SVSim.Database.Models.Config;
+using SVSim.Database.Services;
+using SVSim.EmulatedEntrypoint.Matching;
+
+namespace SVSim.UnitTests.Matching;
+
+[TestFixture]
+[FixtureLifeCycle(LifeCycle.InstancePerTestCase)]
+public class InProcessPairUpRankFallbackTests
+{
+    private FakeTimeProvider _clock = null!;
+    private Mock<IMatchingBridge> _bridge = null!;
+    private Mock<IGameConfigService> _config = null!;
+    private ModePolicyRegistry _policies = null!;
+    private InProcessPairUp _pairUp = null!;
+
+    [SetUp]
+    public void SetUp()
+    {
+        _clock = new FakeTimeProvider(startDateTime: new DateTimeOffset(2026, 6, 2, 0, 0, 0, TimeSpan.Zero));
+        _bridge = new Mock<IMatchingBridge>();
+        _config = new Mock<IGameConfigService>();
+        _config.Setup(c => c.Get<MatchingConfig>())
+            .Returns(new MatchingConfig { RankBattleAiFallbackThresholdSeconds = 15 });
+        _policies = new ModePolicyRegistry(new[]
+        {
+            new ModePolicy("rotation_rank_battle", PolicyKind.PvpFirstThenAiFallback),
+            new ModePolicy("unlimited_rank_battle", PolicyKind.PvpFirstThenAiFallback),
+            new ModePolicy("arena_two_pick_battle", PolicyKind.PvpOnly),
+        });
+
+        // Build a tiny service provider exposing the mock IGameConfigService as scoped,
+        // and inject IServiceScopeFactory into InProcessPairUp the same way prod does.
+        var services = new ServiceCollection();
+        services.AddScoped<IGameConfigService>(_ => _config.Object);
+        var sp = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+        _pairUp = new InProcessPairUp(_bridge.Object, _policies, sp.GetRequiredService<IServiceScopeFactory>(), _clock);
+    }
+
+    private static BattlePlayer Player(long id) =>
+        new(id, new MatchContext(
+            SelfDeckCardIds: Array.Empty<long>(), ClassId: "0", CharaId: "0",
+            CardMasterName: "card_master_node_10015",
+            CountryCode: "JP", UserName: $"P{id}", SleeveId: "0",
+            EmblemId: "0", DegreeId: "0", FieldId: 0, IsOfficial: 0, BattleType: 11));
+
+    [Test]
+    public async Task TK2_policy_is_PvpOnly_no_fallback_regression()
+    {
+        var p = Player(1);
+        var first = await _pairUp.TryPairAsync("arena_two_pick_battle", p, default);
+        Assert.That(first, Is.Null, "First poll should park.");
+
+        _clock.Advance(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(20)); // Past the rotation threshold.
+        var second = await _pairUp.TryPairAsync("arena_two_pick_battle", p, default);
+
+        Assert.That(second, Is.Null, "TK2 must not fall back to AI even past threshold.");
+        _bridge.Verify(b => b.RegisterBattle(It.IsAny<BattlePlayer>(), It.IsAny<BattlePlayer?>(), BattleType.Bot), Times.Never);
+    }
+
+    [Test]
+    public async Task Rotation_first_poll_parks_no_fallback()
+    {
+        var p = Player(1);
+        var result = await _pairUp.TryPairAsync("rotation_rank_battle", p, default);
+        Assert.That(result, Is.Null, "First poll should park even on fallback-eligible modes.");
+        _bridge.Verify(b => b.RegisterBattle(It.IsAny<BattlePlayer>(), It.IsAny<BattlePlayer?>(), It.IsAny<BattleType>()), Times.Never);
+    }
+
+    [Test]
+    public async Task Rotation_second_poll_under_threshold_stays_parked()
+    {
+        var p = Player(1);
+        await _pairUp.TryPairAsync("rotation_rank_battle", p, default);
+        _clock.Advance(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(5));
+
+        var result = await _pairUp.TryPairAsync("rotation_rank_battle", p, default);
+
+        Assert.That(result, Is.Null, "Sub-threshold polls should keep the viewer parked.");
+        _bridge.Verify(b => b.RegisterBattle(It.IsAny<BattlePlayer>(), It.IsAny<BattlePlayer?>(), It.IsAny<BattleType>()), Times.Never);
+    }
+
+    [Test]
+    public async Task Rotation_poll_past_threshold_falls_back_to_Bot()
+    {
+        var p = Player(1);
+        var bid = "bot-bid-1";
+        var url = "http://node.local/socket.io/";
+        _bridge.Setup(b => b.RegisterBattle(p, null, BattleType.Bot))
+            .Returns(new PendingMatch(bid, url));
+
+        await _pairUp.TryPairAsync("rotation_rank_battle", p, default);
+        _clock.Advance(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(16));
+
+        var result = await _pairUp.TryPairAsync("rotation_rank_battle", p, default);
+
+        Assert.That(result, Is.Not.Null);
+        Assert.That(result!.IsAiFallback, Is.True);
+        Assert.That(result.IsOwner, Is.True);
+        Assert.That(result.Match.BattleId, Is.EqualTo(bid));
+        _bridge.Verify(b => b.RegisterBattle(p, null, BattleType.Bot), Times.Once);
+    }
+
+    [Test]
+    public async Task Rotation_partner_arrives_before_threshold_pairs_PvP()
+    {
+        var pA = Player(1);
+        var pB = Player(2);
+        _bridge.Setup(b => b.RegisterBattle(pA, pB, BattleType.Pvp))
+            .Returns(new PendingMatch("pvp-bid", "http://node.local/socket.io/"));
+
+        await _pairUp.TryPairAsync("rotation_rank_battle", pA, default);
+        _clock.Advance(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10)); // Sub-threshold.
+        var joinerResult = await _pairUp.TryPairAsync("rotation_rank_battle", pB, default);
+
+        Assert.That(joinerResult, Is.Not.Null);
+        Assert.That(joinerResult!.IsAiFallback, Is.False, "Pair-up wins over AI fallback when partner arrives in window.");
+        Assert.That(joinerResult.IsOwner, Is.False, "Joiner role.");
+        _bridge.Verify(b => b.RegisterBattle(pA, pB, BattleType.Pvp), Times.Once);
+        _bridge.Verify(b => b.RegisterBattle(It.IsAny<BattlePlayer>(), null, BattleType.Bot), Times.Never);
+    }
+
+    [Test]
+    public async Task Rotation_stale_waiter_evicted_on_next_arriver()
+    {
+        var pA = Player(1);
+        var pB = Player(2);
+        _bridge.Setup(b => b.RegisterBattle(It.IsAny<BattlePlayer>(), null, BattleType.Bot))
+            .Returns<BattlePlayer, BattlePlayer?, BattleType>((p, _, _) => new PendingMatch("bot-" + p.ViewerId, "http://node.local/socket.io/"));
+
+        await _pairUp.TryPairAsync("rotation_rank_battle", pA, default);
+        _clock.Advance(TimeSpan.FromMinutes(6)); // Past the 5-minute stale eviction.
+
+        var resultB = await _pairUp.TryPairAsync("rotation_rank_battle", pB, default);
+
+        // B sees an empty slot (A evicted as stale) and becomes the new waiter.
+        Assert.That(resultB, Is.Null);
+        _bridge.Verify(b => b.RegisterBattle(pA, pB, BattleType.Pvp), Times.Never, "Stale A should not have paired with B.");
+    }
+
+    [Test]
+    public async Task Unlimited_independent_from_Rotation()
+    {
+        var p = Player(1);
+        await _pairUp.TryPairAsync("rotation_rank_battle", p, default);
+        var unlimitedResult = await _pairUp.TryPairAsync("unlimited_rank_battle", p, default);
+
+        Assert.That(unlimitedResult, Is.Null, "Per-mode slots must be independent.");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/SVSim.UnitTests/Matching/InProcessPairUpTests.cs b/SVSim.UnitTests/Matching/InProcessPairUpTests.cs
index 127175e..4b54f2f 100644
--- a/SVSim.UnitTests/Matching/InProcessPairUpTests.cs
+++ b/SVSim.UnitTests/Matching/InProcessPairUpTests.cs
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
+using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.Time.Testing;
+using Moq;
 using NUnit.Framework;
 using SVSim.BattleNode.Bridge;
 using SVSim.BattleNode.Sessions;
+using SVSim.Database.Models.Config;
+using SVSim.Database.Services;
 using SVSim.EmulatedEntrypoint.Matching;
 
 namespace SVSim.UnitTests.Matching;
@@ -11,8 +16,7 @@ public class InProcessPairUpTests
     [Test]
     public async Task TryPairAsync_on_empty_slot_returns_null_and_parks()
     {
-        var bridge = new MatchingBridge(new InMemoryBattleSessionStore(), new BattleNodeOptions());
-        var svc = new InProcessPairUp(bridge);
+        var svc = BuildSvc();
 
         var match = await svc.TryPairAsync("tk2", new BattlePlayer(1, Ctx()), CancellationToken.None);
 
@@ -22,8 +26,7 @@ public class InProcessPairUpTests
     [Test]
     public async Task TryPairAsync_with_waiting_partner_pairs_returns_match_as_joiner()
     {
-        var bridge = new MatchingBridge(new InMemoryBattleSessionStore(), new BattleNodeOptions());
-        var svc = new InProcessPairUp(bridge);
+        var svc = BuildSvc();
 
         await svc.TryPairAsync("tk2", new BattlePlayer(1, Ctx()), CancellationToken.None);
         var result = await svc.TryPairAsync("tk2", new BattlePlayer(2, Ctx()), CancellationToken.None);
@@ -32,13 +35,14 @@ public class InProcessPairUpTests
         Assert.That(result!.Match.BattleId, Is.Not.Empty);
         Assert.That(result.IsOwner, Is.False,
             "The second arriver (who triggered the pair) is the joiner — wire matching_state 3004.");
+        Assert.That(result.IsAiFallback, Is.False,
+            "TK2 is PvpOnly — never falls back to AI.");
     }
 
     [Test]
     public async Task First_arrivers_next_poll_returns_cached_match_as_owner_then_evicts()
     {
-        var bridge = new MatchingBridge(new InMemoryBattleSessionStore(), new BattleNodeOptions());
-        var svc = new InProcessPairUp(bridge);
+        var svc = BuildSvc();
 
         await svc.TryPairAsync("tk2", new BattlePlayer(1, Ctx()), CancellationToken.None);  // park
         var secondPaired = await svc.TryPairAsync("tk2", new BattlePlayer(2, Ctx()), CancellationToken.None);  // pair
@@ -57,8 +61,7 @@ public class InProcessPairUpTests
     [Test]
     public async Task Different_modes_do_not_pair_across_slots()
     {
-        var bridge = new MatchingBridge(new InMemoryBattleSessionStore(), new BattleNodeOptions());
-        var svc = new InProcessPairUp(bridge);
+        var svc = BuildSvc();
 
         await svc.TryPairAsync("tk2", new BattlePlayer(1, Ctx()), CancellationToken.None);
         var rankMatch = await svc.TryPairAsync("rank_rotation", new BattlePlayer(2, Ctx()), CancellationToken.None);
@@ -66,6 +69,26 @@ public class InProcessPairUpTests
         Assert.That(rankMatch, Is.Null, "Different mode shouldn't pair with tk2's waiting viewer.");
     }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Builds an InProcessPairUp with a real MatchingBridge (so BattleIds are real)
+    /// + a fake clock, default-threshold MatchingConfig, and an empty policy registry
+    /// (so unknown modes default to PvpOnly — preserving Phase 2 behaviour for
+    /// these legacy tests).
+    /// </summary>
+    private static InProcessPairUp BuildSvc()
+    {
+        var bridge = new MatchingBridge(new InMemoryBattleSessionStore(), new BattleNodeOptions());
+        var clock = new FakeTimeProvider();
+        var config = new Mock<IGameConfigService>();
+        config.Setup(c => c.Get<MatchingConfig>()).Returns(new MatchingConfig());
+        var policies = new ModePolicyRegistry(Array.Empty<ModePolicy>());
+
+        var services = new ServiceCollection();
+        services.AddScoped<IGameConfigService>(_ => config.Object);
+        var sp = services.BuildServiceProvider();
+        return new InProcessPairUp(bridge, policies, sp.GetRequiredService<IServiceScopeFactory>(), clock);
+    }
+
     private static MatchContext Ctx() => new(
         SelfDeckCardIds: Enumerable.Range(1, 30).Select(_ => 100_011_010L).ToList(),
         ClassId: "1", CharaId: "1", CardMasterName: "card_master_node_10015",
diff --git a/SVSim.UnitTests/SVSim.UnitTests.csproj b/SVSim.UnitTests/SVSim.UnitTests.csproj
index 5cf500a..40a3946 100644
--- a/SVSim.UnitTests/SVSim.UnitTests.csproj
+++ b/SVSim.UnitTests/SVSim.UnitTests.csproj
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
     </PropertyGroup>
 
     <ItemGroup>
+        <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Extensions.TimeProvider.Testing" Version="8.0.0" />
         <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.NET.Test.Sdk" Version="17.6.0" />
         <PackageReference Include="NUnit" Version="3.13.3" />
         <PackageReference Include="NUnit3TestAdapter" Version="4.2.1" />