diff --git a/engine/Age.Cli/Program.cs b/engine/Age.Cli/Program.cs
index 18da9da..c8de47b 100644
--- a/engine/Age.Cli/Program.cs
+++ b/engine/Age.Cli/Program.cs
@@ -317,6 +317,7 @@ sealed class AudioTraceHost : IHost
     public void ShowText(int offset, string text) { }
     public void WaitForInput() { }
     public void Sleep(long duration) { }
+    public void FrameYield() { }
     public void CreateTexture(int slot, int width, int height) { }
     public void SetTexture(long resourceId, int slot) { }
     public void DrawTexture(int slot, int srcX, int srcY, int width, int height, int dstX, int dstY) { }
@@ -366,6 +367,7 @@ sealed class GfxTraceHost : IHost
     public void ShowText(int offset, string text) { }
     public void WaitForInput() { }
     public void Sleep(long duration) { }
+    public void FrameYield() { }
     public void PlayBgm(long id) { }
     public void PlayVoice(long id) { }
 }
diff --git a/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/CallScriptIntegrationTests.cs b/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/CallScriptIntegrationTests.cs
index 9e9ebe8..bd37d21 100644
--- a/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/CallScriptIntegrationTests.cs
+++ b/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/CallScriptIntegrationTests.cs
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ public class CallScriptIntegrationTests
         public void ShowText(int o, string t) { }
         public void WaitForInput() { }
         public void Sleep(long duration) { }
+        public void FrameYield() { }
         public void CreateTexture(int s, int w, int h) { }
         public void SetTexture(long r, int s) { }
         public void DrawTexture(int s, int sx, int sy, int w, int h, int dx, int dy) { }
diff --git a/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/CallScriptTests.cs b/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/CallScriptTests.cs
index 07ef8bb..7ef898a 100644
--- a/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/CallScriptTests.cs
+++ b/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/CallScriptTests.cs
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ public class CallScriptTests
         public void ShowText(int o, string t) { }
         public void WaitForInput() { }
         public void Sleep(long duration) { }
+        public void FrameYield() { }
         public void CreateTexture(int s, int w, int h) { }
         public void SetTexture(long r, int s) { }
         public void DrawTexture(int s, int sx, int sy, int w, int h, int dx, int dy) { }
diff --git a/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/FrameClockTests.cs b/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/FrameClockTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6a30797
--- /dev/null
+++ b/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/FrameClockTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+using Age.Engine.Hosting;
+using Xunit;
+
+public class FrameClockTests
+{
+    [Fact]
+    public void Advance_AtSpeed1_AddsRealMilliseconds()
+    {
+        var c = new FrameClock();               // Speed defaults to 1.0
+        c.Advance(0.016);                        // one ~60fps frame
+        Assert.Equal(16, c.NowMs);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void Advance_ScalesBySpeed()
+    {
+        var c = new FrameClock { Speed = 4.0 };
+        c.Advance(0.016);
+        Assert.Equal(64, c.NowMs);               // 4x virtual time
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void EffectiveBudget_ScalesBySpeed_AndFloorsAtOne()
+    {
+        Assert.Equal(30,  new FrameClock { OpsPerFrame = 30, Speed = 1.0 }.EffectiveBudget);
+        Assert.Equal(120, new FrameClock { OpsPerFrame = 30, Speed = 4.0 }.EffectiveBudget);
+        Assert.Equal(1,   new FrameClock { OpsPerFrame = 0,  Speed = 1.0 }.EffectiveBudget);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/FrameYieldTests.cs b/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/FrameYieldTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4622a15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/FrameYieldTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+using Age.Engine.Hosting;
+using Age.Engine.Model;
+using Age.Engine.Sys4;
+using Age.Engine.Vm;
+using Xunit;
+
+public class FrameYieldTests
+{
+    private sealed class CountingHost : IHost
+    {
+        public long Yields;
+        public void FrameYield() => Yields++;
+        public void ShowText(int offset, string text) { }
+        public void WaitForInput() { }
+        public void Sleep(long duration) { }
+        public void CreateTexture(int slot, int width, int height) { }
+        public void SetTexture(long resourceId, int slot) { }
+        public void DrawTexture(int slot, int sx, int sy, int w, int h, int dx, int dy) { }
+        public (int Width, int Height) GetTextureSize(int slot) => (0, 0);
+        public void PlayBgm(long id) { }
+        public void PlayVoice(long id) { }
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void FrameYield_CalledOncePerStep()
+    {
+        var table = OpcodeTableJson.Load(Paths.OpcodesJson);
+        var script = Sys4Loader.Load(Paths.Scripts()["INITCONFIG.BIN"], table);
+        var host = new CountingHost();
+        var vm = new VirtualMachine(script, table, host);
+        vm.Run();
+        Assert.True(vm.Steps > 0);
+        Assert.Equal(vm.Steps, host.Yields);   // exactly one FrameYield per executed opcode
+    }
+}
diff --git a/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/GameSessionTests.cs b/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/GameSessionTests.cs
index a7b9d12..5cffe71 100644
--- a/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/GameSessionTests.cs
+++ b/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/GameSessionTests.cs
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ public class GameSessionTests
         public void ShowText(int o, string t) => Emitted.Add(o);
         public void WaitForInput() { }
         public void Sleep(long duration) { }
+        public void FrameYield() { }
         public void CreateTexture(int s, int w, int h) { }
         public void SetTexture(long r, int s) { }
         public void DrawTexture(int s, int sx, int sy, int w, int h, int dx, int dy) { }
diff --git a/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/TestSupport.cs b/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/TestSupport.cs
index 5eb70e4..f0be7ec 100644
--- a/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/TestSupport.cs
+++ b/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/TestSupport.cs
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ internal sealed class RecordingHost : IHost
     public void ShowText(int offset, string text) => Lines.Add((offset, text));
     public void WaitForInput() => Waits++;
     public void Sleep(long duration) => SleptDurations.Add(duration);
+    public void FrameYield() { }
     public void CreateTexture(int slot, int w, int h) { }
     public void SetTexture(long resId, int slot) { }
     public void DrawTexture(int slot, int sx, int sy, int w, int h, int dx, int dy) { }
diff --git a/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/TextureGeometryTests.cs b/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/TextureGeometryTests.cs
index 19dc63a..5d1773b 100644
--- a/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/TextureGeometryTests.cs
+++ b/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/TextureGeometryTests.cs
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ public class TextureGeometryTests
         public void ShowText(int o, string t) { }
         public void WaitForInput() { }
         public void Sleep(long duration) { }
+        public void FrameYield() { }
         public void CreateTexture(int slot, int w, int h) { }
         public void SetTexture(long resId, int slot) { }
         public void DrawTexture(int slot, int sx, int sy, int w, int h, int dx, int dy) { }
diff --git a/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/TextureOpsTests.cs b/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/TextureOpsTests.cs
index ed61920..96e16e6 100644
--- a/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/TextureOpsTests.cs
+++ b/engine/Age.Engine.Tests/TextureOpsTests.cs
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ public class TextureOpsTests
         public void ShowText(int o, string t) { }
         public void WaitForInput() { }
         public void Sleep(long duration) { }
+        public void FrameYield() { }
         public void CreateTexture(int slot, int w, int h) => Creates++;
         public void SetTexture(long resId, int slot) => Sets.Add((resId, slot));
         public void DrawTexture(int slot, int srcX, int srcY, int w, int h, int dstX, int dstY) => Draws.Add((slot, w, h));
diff --git a/engine/Age.Engine/Hosting/CaptureHost.cs b/engine/Age.Engine/Hosting/CaptureHost.cs
index 42a5c48..da651fa 100644
--- a/engine/Age.Engine/Hosting/CaptureHost.cs
+++ b/engine/Age.Engine/Hosting/CaptureHost.cs
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ public sealed class CaptureHost : IHost
     public void ShowText(int offset, string text) => Emitted.Add((offset, text));
     public void WaitForInput() { }
     public void Sleep(long duration) { }
+    public void FrameYield() { }
     public void CreateTexture(int slot, int width, int height) { }
     public void SetTexture(long resourceId, int slot) { }
     public void DrawTexture(int slot, int srcX, int srcY, int width, int height, int dstX, int dstY) { }
diff --git a/engine/Age.Engine/Hosting/FrameClock.cs b/engine/Age.Engine/Hosting/FrameClock.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3ff0433
--- /dev/null
+++ b/engine/Age.Engine/Hosting/FrameClock.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+namespace Age.Engine.Hosting;
+
+/// <summary>Host-owned virtual clock + per-frame op budget. Pure (no threading): the Godot host
+/// advances it once per rendered frame and consults it to pace the VM. The one <see cref="Speed"/>
+/// factor is the future (unwired) Ctrl fast-forward multiplier — scaling it scales the throttle
+/// budget, sleeps, and the anim tween together. See docs/superpowers/specs/2026-07-08-frame-stepped-vm-design.md.</summary>
+public sealed class FrameClock
+{
+    /// <summary>Monotonic virtual time in milliseconds (scaled by Speed).</summary>
+    public long NowMs { get; private set; }
+
+    /// <summary>Speed multiplier. 1.0 = normal. The future Ctrl hook (ADV-scoped); leave at 1.0 for now.</summary>
+    public double Speed = 1.0;
+
+    /// <summary>Base per-frame interpreter op budget (tunable by eye; ~30 ≈ 1,800 ops/sec at 60fps).</summary>
+    public int OpsPerFrame = 30;
+
+    /// <summary>Advance the clock by one rendered frame's real delta (seconds), scaled by Speed.</summary>
+    public void Advance(double realDeltaSeconds) => NowMs += (long)(realDeltaSeconds * 1000.0 * Speed);
+
+    /// <summary>Ops the VM may run before yielding a frame, scaled by Speed (min 1).</summary>
+    public int EffectiveBudget => System.Math.Max(1, (int)System.Math.Round(OpsPerFrame * Speed));
+}
diff --git a/engine/Age.Engine/Hosting/IHost.cs b/engine/Age.Engine/Hosting/IHost.cs
index 55022b1..d50e128 100644
--- a/engine/Age.Engine/Hosting/IHost.cs
+++ b/engine/Age.Engine/Hosting/IHost.cs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ public interface IHost
     void ShowText(int offset, string text);
     void WaitForInput();
     void Sleep(long duration);
+    void FrameYield();
     void CreateTexture(int slot, int width, int height);
     void SetTexture(long resourceId, int slot);
     void DrawTexture(int slot, int srcX, int srcY, int width, int height, int dstX, int dstY);
diff --git a/engine/Age.Engine/Vm/VirtualMachine.cs b/engine/Age.Engine/Vm/VirtualMachine.cs
index fd213a3..cf85f3d 100644
--- a/engine/Age.Engine/Vm/VirtualMachine.cs
+++ b/engine/Age.Engine/Vm/VirtualMachine.cs
@@ -122,6 +122,7 @@ public sealed class VirtualMachine
             Steps++;
             if (_sink.TracingSteps) _sink.Emit(TraceEvent.Step(pc, frame.Script.Instructions[pc], _depth));
             int next = Step(frame.Script.Instructions[pc], pc);
+            _host.FrameYield();
             if (next == FRAME_RETURN) { outcome = FrameOutcome.Returned; break; }
             if (next == HALT) { outcome = FrameOutcome.Halted; break; }
             pc = next;
diff --git a/godot/GodotAdvHost.cs b/godot/GodotAdvHost.cs
index ca6b621..4c5ac8d 100644
--- a/godot/GodotAdvHost.cs
+++ b/godot/GodotAdvHost.cs
@@ -13,12 +13,15 @@ public sealed class GodotAdvHost : IHost
     // the single-scene harness skips; seed it so the first CG's anchor math stays correct (not 0x0).
     private readonly Dictionary<int, (int W, int H)> _slotDims = new() { { 0, (800, 600) } };
     private readonly SemaphoreSlim _gate = new(0, 1);
+    private readonly Age.Engine.Hosting.FrameClock _clock;
+    private readonly System.Threading.AutoResetEvent _frameSignal = new(false);
+    private int _opsSinceYield;
     public volatile bool IsWaiting;
     public readonly List<(int Offset, string Text)> Captured = new();
 
-    public GodotAdvHost(Main main, ResourceMap res, string scene)
+    public GodotAdvHost(Main main, ResourceMap res, string scene, Age.Engine.Hosting.FrameClock clock)
     {
-        _main = main; _res = res; _scene = scene;
+        _main = main; _res = res; _scene = scene; _clock = clock;
     }
 
     public void ShowText(int offset, string text)
@@ -42,16 +45,35 @@ public sealed class GodotAdvHost : IHost
     // called from the main thread (click) or the selftest auto-clicker
     public void SignalInput() { if (_gate.CurrentCount == 0) _gate.Release(); }
 
+    // Main thread, once per rendered frame: releases a VM thread parked in FrameYield/Sleep.
+    public void PulseFrame() => _frameSignal.Set();
+
+    // Called once per executed opcode (IHost.FrameYield). After a frame's worth of ops (the clock's
+    // budget), block the VM background thread until Main._Process advances the clock — throttling the
+    // interpreter to ~budget ops per rendered frame (the native engine's rate-limited cadence).
+    public void FrameYield()
+    {
+        if (++_opsSinceYield < _clock.EffectiveBudget) return;
+        _opsSinceYield = 0;
+        long start = _clock.NowMs;
+        while (_clock.NowMs == start)                 // wait until a real _Process advanced the clock
+            if (!_frameSignal.WaitOne(50)) break;     // 50ms safety cap: never hang if _Process stalls
+    }
+
     // op 0xc8: block the VM background thread so the main-thread compositor (Main.Recomposite in _Process)
     // presents the current retained GfxState — this is what makes the sleep-paced opening burst animate.
     // Time-based sibling of WaitForInput's suspend. The native op arms a non-blocking main-loop-polled timer;
     // blocking this throwaway task thread is behaviorally equivalent given our threading model. Operand is
     // MILLISECONDS (docs/engine-re.md sleep section + opcodes.toml 0xc8). Headless CLI hosts no-op it (parity).
     public double SleepScale = 1.0;   // --sleep-scale <f>: debug multiplier to slow/speed the paced opening for inspection
+    // Wait on the unified FrameClock timebase (not Thread.Sleep) so a future Speed multiplier scales
+    // sleeps together with the throttle and the tween. Main._Process advances the clock + pulses each frame.
     public void Sleep(long duration)
     {
-        int ms = (int)System.Math.Clamp(duration * SleepScale, 0, 60_000);   // cap so a pathological script can't hang the window
-        if (ms > 0) Thread.Sleep(ms);
+        long ms = (long)System.Math.Clamp(duration * SleepScale, 0, 60_000);   // cap so a pathological script can't hang the window
+        long deadline = _clock.NowMs + ms;
+        while (_clock.NowMs < deadline)
+            if (!_frameSignal.WaitOne(2000)) break;   // safety cap
     }
 
     // ---- texture ops (run on the VM thread; marshal Godot node work to the main thread) ----
diff --git a/godot/Main.cs b/godot/Main.cs
index 7846a39..df495dc 100644
--- a/godot/Main.cs
+++ b/godot/Main.cs
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ public partial class Main : Godot.Control
     private AudioStreamPlayer _voice = null!;              // interrupt-on-new voice
     private VirtualMachine _vm = null!;
     private GodotAdvHost _host = null!;
+    private readonly Age.Engine.Hosting.FrameClock _clock = new();
     private GodotTraceSink _trace = null!;
     private Age.Engine.Diagnostics.HistogramTraceSink? _hist;   // --trace-histogram: profile the real run
     private string? _histFile;
@@ -119,7 +120,7 @@ public partial class Main : Godot.Control
         IScriptProvider provider;
         if (_selftest) (script, provider) = BuildSelfTestScene(table);
         else { script = Sys4Loader.Load(Paths.Scripts()[scene.ToUpperInvariant() + ".BIN"], table); provider = Sys4ScriptProvider.Load(table); }
-        _host = new GodotAdvHost(this, ResourceMap.Load(), scene) { SleepScale = sleepScale };
+        _host = new GodotAdvHost(this, ResourceMap.Load(), scene, _clock) { SleepScale = sleepScale };
         _trace = new GodotTraceSink();
         // --trace-histogram: aggregate op/call-site execution counts of the REAL Godot run (headless flow
         // diverges — wait-for-input is a no-op there — so this is the only way to profile the live path).
@@ -156,6 +157,8 @@ public partial class Main : Godot.Control
     public override void _Process(double delta)
     {
         _lastDelta = delta;
+        _clock.Advance(delta);
+        _host?.PulseFrame();
         if (!_selftest && _vm != null) Recomposite();   // retained per-frame compositor (surface+object model)
         // --shot-sequence: dump one PNG per frame across the opening so a time-based (paced) effect can be
         // verified as distinct frames, not just the final state. Captures after Recomposite; quits when full.
@@ -278,7 +281,7 @@ public partial class Main : Godot.Control
             tw.TargetA = targetA;
             tw.Initialized = true;
         }
-        tw.Elapsed += _lastDelta;
+        tw.Elapsed += _lastDelta * _clock.Speed;   // Speed==1 now => identical; future Ctrl scales the tween
         double p = tw.Duration > 0 ? System.Math.Clamp(tw.Elapsed / tw.Duration, 0, 1) : 1;
         tw.CurrentA = tw.StartA + (tw.TargetA - tw.StartA) * p;
         return (float)tw.CurrentA;