diff --git a/deploy/deploy.yaml b/deploy/deploy.yaml
index c56194bd..53c21b34 100644
--- a/deploy/deploy.yaml
+++ b/deploy/deploy.yaml
@@ -561,6 +561,7 @@ lanes:
       overrides: {}
     services:
       - serviceId: hwlab-cloud-api
+        replicas: 2
         env:
           HWLAB_CLOUD_DB_URL: secretRef:hwlab-cloud-api-v03-db/database-url
           HWLAB_CLOUD_DB_CONTRACT: v03-redacted-presence-only
diff --git a/scripts/gitops-render.mjs b/scripts/gitops-render.mjs
index 584c4128..5c1de6bd 100644
--- a/scripts/gitops-render.mjs
+++ b/scripts/gitops-render.mjs
@@ -914,7 +914,7 @@ function removeV02LegacySimulatorEnv(envList) {
   return envList.filter((entry) => !v02RemovedServiceEnvNames.has(entry?.name));
 }
 
-function removeV02RepoOwnedCodeAgentPodConfig(podSpec) {
+function removeV02RepoOwnedCodeAgentPodConfig(deploymentSpec, podSpec) {
   if (!podSpec) return;
   podSpec.initContainers = (podSpec.initContainers ?? []).filter((entry) => entry?.name !== "hwlab-code-agent-workspace-init");
   const removedVolumeNames = new Set([
@@ -927,6 +927,15 @@ function removeV02RepoOwnedCodeAgentPodConfig(podSpec) {
   for (const container of podSpec.containers ?? []) {
     container.volumeMounts = (container.volumeMounts ?? []).filter((mount) => !removedVolumeNames.has(mount?.name));
   }
+  if (deploymentSpec?.strategy?.type === "Recreate") delete deploymentSpec.strategy;
+}
+
+function applyDeployServiceReplicas(item, deployService) {
+  if (!(item?.kind === "Deployment" || item?.kind === "StatefulSet")) return;
+  const replicas = deployService?.replicas;
+  if (!Number.isInteger(replicas) || replicas < 0) return;
+  item.spec ??= {};
+  item.spec.replicas = replicas;
 }
 
 function deployServicesForProfile(deploy, profile) {
@@ -1280,6 +1289,7 @@ function transformWorkloads({ workloads, deploy, catalog, source, sourceBranch =
       const serviceId = serviceIdForWorkload(item, container);
       const deployService = deployServices.get(serviceId);
       if (!deployService) continue;
+      applyDeployServiceReplicas(item, deployService);
       const artifact = runtimeArtifactForService({ catalog, deploy, serviceId, source, registryPrefix, useDeployImages, digestPin, envReuseServiceIds });
       const envReuse = runtimeLane && v02EnvReuseEnabled(catalog, serviceId, envReuseServiceIds);
       const bootDeployService = envReuse ? deployServiceForBoot(deploy, serviceId, profile) : null;
@@ -1327,7 +1337,7 @@ function transformWorkloads({ workloads, deploy, catalog, source, sourceBranch =
       }
       if (serviceId === "hwlab-cloud-api") {
         if (runtimeLane) {
-          removeV02RepoOwnedCodeAgentPodConfig(podTemplate.spec);
+          removeV02RepoOwnedCodeAgentPodConfig(item.spec, podTemplate.spec);
           upsertEnv(container.env, "HWLAB_M3_IO_CONTROL_ENABLED", "false");
           upsertEnv(container.env, "HWLAB_CODE_AGENT_AGENTRUN_REPO_URL", gitReadUrl ?? defaultRuntimeLaneGitReadUrl);
           upsertEnv(container.env, "HWLAB_CODE_AGENT_AGENTRUN_PROVIDER_ID", runtimeNodeIdForProfile(deploy, profile));