diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 4de293a..ffdbd06 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ jobs:
           stage="rigforge-$TAG"
           mkdir -p "$stage"
           # Runtime files a user needs to deploy a worker — no tests/, .github/, or dev cruft.
-          cp -a rigforge.sh util systemd config.json.template config.advanced.example.json README.md docs images LICENSE VERSION "$stage/"
+          cp -a rigforge.sh util systemd config.minimal.json config.reference.json README.md docs images LICENSE VERSION "$stage/"
           zip -rq "$stage.zip" "$stage"
           tar -czf "$stage.tar.gz" "$stage"
           sha256sum "$stage.zip" "$stage.tar.gz" > SHA256SUMS
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index e2d1f9c..5816397 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# User-generated config (created from config.json.template)
+# User-generated config (created from config.minimal.json)
 config.json
 
 # Runtime artifacts
diff --git a/RELEASING.md b/RELEASING.md
index 448fd0c..4f44d79 100644
--- a/RELEASING.md
+++ b/RELEASING.md
@@ -69,8 +69,8 @@ Pushing the tag triggers the release pipeline
 ([`.github/workflows/release.yml`](./.github/workflows/release.yml)), which:
 
 - verifies the tag matches `VERSION` (the build fails otherwise),
-- packages the deploy bundle (`rigforge.sh`, `util/`, `systemd/`, `config.json.template`,
-  `config.advanced.example.json`, `README.md`, `docs/`, `images/`, `LICENSE`, `VERSION`) as
+- packages the deploy bundle (`rigforge.sh`, `util/`, `systemd/`, `config.minimal.json`,
+  `config.reference.json`, `README.md`, `docs/`, `images/`, `LICENSE`, `VERSION`) as
   `rigforge-vX.Y.Z.zip` and `.tar.gz` (`tests/`, `.github/`, and other dev files are excluded),
 - generates `SHA256SUMS` for the artifacts,
 - pulls that version's section from [`CHANGELOG.md`](./CHANGELOG.md) as the release notes,
diff --git a/config.json.template b/config.minimal.json
similarity index 100%
rename from config.json.template
rename to config.minimal.json
diff --git a/config.advanced.example.json b/config.reference.json
similarity index 100%
rename from config.advanced.example.json
rename to config.reference.json
diff --git a/docs/configuration.md b/docs/configuration.md
index 63ce4ad..e647218 100644
--- a/docs/configuration.md
+++ b/docs/configuration.md
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ rest (CPU profile, thread count, HugePage sizing) is detected and applied for yo
 
 On first run, if there's no `config.json`, `setup` creates a minimal one interactively (it asks for
 your pool URL). You can also pre-create one from
-[`config.json.template`](../config.json.template).
+[`config.minimal.json`](../config.minimal.json).
 
 Setup validates every field when it parses the config. A malformed pool URL, an out-of-range port, a
 bad hostname, a non-boolean flag, or an unsafe `HOME_DIR` stops setup with a message rather than
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ proxy listens on `3333`). The interactive first-run setup writes exactly this mi
 > [Connecting to a public pool](#connecting-to-a-public-pool-supportxmr-etc) for a copy-paste example.
 
 > Two-tier config (like Pithead): keep `config.json` minimal and add only the keys you want to change.
-> [`config.advanced.example.json`](../config.advanced.example.json) lists every key with its default.
+> [`config.reference.json`](../config.reference.json) lists every key with its default.
 > Copy in what you need; anything you omit keeps the default. The reference table below documents each
 > key.
 
diff --git a/rigforge.sh b/rigforge.sh
index 610b510..664ee82 100755
--- a/rigforge.sh
+++ b/rigforge.sh
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ ensure_config_exists() {
             log "Starting interactive setup..."
 
             # We only need the pool URL — every other key has a sensible default (see
-            # config.advanced.example.json for the full list). The URL is host:port (Pithead's proxy
+            # config.reference.json for the full list). The URL is host:port (Pithead's proxy
             # listens on 3333).
             read -r -p "Enter your pool URL (host:port, e.g. your-stack:3333): " IN_URL || true
 
diff --git a/tests/e2e/macos.sh b/tests/e2e/macos.sh
index fe3b5bf..347f9c1 100755
--- a/tests/e2e/macos.sh
+++ b/tests/e2e/macos.sh
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ trap cleanup EXIT
 mkdir -p "$HOME"
 
 # Writable copy of just the deploy bits (not .git / the suite / build artifacts).
-(cd "$SRC" && cp -a rigforge.sh util systemd config.json.template config.advanced.example.json VERSION "$WORK"/) 2>/dev/null
+(cd "$SRC" && cp -a rigforge.sh util systemd config.minimal.json config.reference.json VERSION "$WORK"/) 2>/dev/null
 cd "$WORK" || {
     echo "cannot enter $WORK"
     exit 1
diff --git a/tests/run.sh b/tests/run.sh
index 576dc9c..7ecc680 100644
--- a/tests/run.sh
+++ b/tests/run.sh
@@ -3010,8 +3010,8 @@ if [[ "$ver" =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+([-+.].*)?$ ]]; then ok "VERSION is SemVe
 
 # #23: the advanced example must be valid JSON and must document every config.json key parse_config
 # reads — so the reference can't silently drift from the code.
-echo "== unit: config.advanced.example.json (#23) =="
-ADV="$ROOT/config.advanced.example.json"
+echo "== unit: config.reference.json (#23) =="
+ADV="$ROOT/config.reference.json"
 if jq -e . "$ADV" >/dev/null 2>&1; then ok "advanced example is valid JSON"; else bad "advanced example is valid JSON" "jq parse failed"; fi
 # The advanced example documents exactly the user-facing keys. The rig label lives in pools[].user and
 # the template is internal, so WORKER_NAME / WORKER_CONFIG_FILE / POOL_HOST must NOT appear.
@@ -3022,13 +3022,13 @@ for k in POOL_HOST WORKER_NAME WORKER_CONFIG_FILE; do
     assert_absent "advanced example has no $k key" "$(cat "$ADV")" "\"$k\""
 done
 
-# config.json.template is the copy-me starter (referenced by the docs and shipped in the release bundle).
+# config.minimal.json is the copy-me starter (referenced by the docs and shipped in the release bundle).
 # It must be valid JSON, carry an obvious unreplaced placeholder, and be REJECTED by parse_config unedited
 # — so a user can't accidentally deploy the template and mine to a bogus host. (It can drift unnoticed
-# otherwise: unlike config.advanced.example.json, nothing else validates it.)
-echo "== unit: config.json.template (starter) =="
-TPL="$ROOT/config.json.template"
-if jq -e . "$TPL" >/dev/null 2>&1; then ok "config.json.template is valid JSON"; else bad "config.json.template is valid JSON" "jq parse failed"; fi
+# otherwise: unlike config.reference.json, nothing else validates it.)
+echo "== unit: config.minimal.json (starter) =="
+TPL="$ROOT/config.minimal.json"
+if jq -e . "$TPL" >/dev/null 2>&1; then ok "config.minimal.json is valid JSON"; else bad "config.minimal.json is valid JSON" "jq parse failed"; fi
 assert_contains "template carries an unreplaced pool placeholder" "$(jq -r '.pools[0].url' "$TPL")" "<YOUR_POOL_HOST>"
 TT="$(mktemp -d "$SANDBOX/tpl.XXXXXX")"
 cp "$TPL" "$TT/config.json"