diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 5dd2e43..83fd3d0 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-CONTINUUM_REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379
+# Valkey, not Redis (licensing - see continuum-common/docs/LICENSES.md).
+# The `redis://` scheme is the RESP wire protocol; redis-rs has no
+# `valkey://` scheme to use instead.
+CONTINUUM_VALKEY_URL=redis://localhost:6379
 CONTINUUM_FRAME_STREAM=stream:camera_frames
 CONTINUUM_CONSUMER_GROUP=ai-worker
 CONTINUUM_CONSUMER_NAME=ai-worker-1
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 6816e1b..75d4e88 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # continuum-ai-worker
 
 Computer-vision failure detection worker for the Continuum print farm
-platform. Consumes camera frame batches pushed onto the Redis Stream
+platform. Consumes camera frame batches pushed onto the Valkey Stream
 `stream:camera_frames` (by `continuum-backend`'s `src/queue/`) and reports
 failures.
 
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ failures.
 Real ONNX Runtime inference (the `ort` crate) and the Postgres audit write
 (`sqlx`) are **not** implemented yet - `src/inference/mod.rs` always
 "detects" one fixed example failure, and `src/reporter/mod.rs` only prints
-where the Postgres write would go. The Redis Streams consumer-group loop in
-`main.rs` and the Redis pub/sub alert in `reporter/` are real. This lets the
+where the Postgres write would go. The Valkey Streams consumer-group loop in
+`main.rs` and the Valkey pub/sub alert in `reporter/` are real. This lets the
 whole pipeline (read a frame, "detect", report, ack) run and be understood
 before adding a real model or a SQL database on top.
 
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ continuum-proxy --(frames)--> continuum-backend --(XADD)--> stream:camera_frames
                                                                     v
                                                      inference::detect (stub for now)
                                                                     v
-                                                 reporter::report (Redis pub/sub - real)
+                                                 reporter::report (Valkey pub/sub - real)
 ```
 
 ## Getting started
@@ -41,5 +41,5 @@ src/
   main.rs          Consumer-group loop: XREADGROUP -> detect -> report -> XACK
   config.rs        Loads settings from environment variables
   inference/       Detection stub - real ONNX Runtime inference goes here later
-  reporter/        Redis pub/sub alert (real) + a note for the Postgres write (later)
+  reporter/        Valkey pub/sub alert (real) + a note for the Postgres write (later)
 ```
diff --git a/src/config.rs b/src/config.rs
index f72b38f..4606f37 100644
--- a/src/config.rs
+++ b/src/config.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ use std::env;
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
 pub struct Config {
-    pub redis_url: String,
+    pub valkey_url: String,
     pub frame_stream: String,
     pub consumer_group: String,
     pub consumer_name: String,
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ pub struct Config {
 impl Config {
     pub fn from_env() -> anyhow::Result<Self> {
         Ok(Self {
-            redis_url: env_or("CONTINUUM_REDIS_URL", "redis://localhost:6379"),
+            valkey_url: env_or("CONTINUUM_VALKEY_URL", "redis://localhost:6379"),
             frame_stream: env_or("CONTINUUM_FRAME_STREAM", "stream:camera_frames"),
             consumer_group: env_or("CONTINUUM_CONSUMER_GROUP", "ai-worker"),
             consumer_name: env_or("CONTINUUM_CONSUMER_NAME", "ai-worker-1"),
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 8f81533..6334380 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -18,9 +18,11 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     dotenvy::dotenv().ok();
     let config = Config::from_env()?;
 
-    let client = redis::Client::open(config.redis_url.clone())?;
+    // The `redis` crate is a RESP client; the server it talks to is Valkey.
+    // See continuum-common/docs/LICENSES.md for why.
+    let client = redis::Client::open(config.valkey_url.clone())?;
     let mut conn = client.get_multiplexed_tokio_connection().await?;
-    let mut reporter = Reporter::connect(&config.redis_url).await?;
+    let mut reporter = Reporter::connect(&config.valkey_url).await?;
 
     // Consumer groups have to exist before you can read from them. This
     // fails with "BUSYGROUP" if it already exists - that's fine, ignore it.
diff --git a/src/reporter/mod.rs b/src/reporter/mod.rs
index 02e1baa..1d4cda0 100644
--- a/src/reporter/mod.rs
+++ b/src/reporter/mod.rs
@@ -7,17 +7,17 @@ const ALERT_CHANNEL: &str = "channel:print_alerts";
 
 /// Fast-paths a failure alert out to whatever's listening.
 pub struct Reporter {
-    redis: redis::aio::MultiplexedConnection,
+    valkey: redis::aio::MultiplexedConnection,
 }
 
 impl Reporter {
-    pub async fn connect(redis_url: &str) -> anyhow::Result<Self> {
-        let client = redis::Client::open(redis_url)?;
-        let redis = client.get_multiplexed_tokio_connection().await?;
-        Ok(Self { redis })
+    pub async fn connect(valkey_url: &str) -> anyhow::Result<Self> {
+        let client = redis::Client::open(valkey_url)?;
+        let valkey = client.get_multiplexed_tokio_connection().await?;
+        Ok(Self { valkey })
     }
 
-    /// Publishes to Redis (real - this is what `continuum-backend`'s
+    /// Publishes to Valkey (real - this is what `continuum-backend`'s
     /// WebSocket fan-out subscribes to, for live operator-console alerts).
     ///
     /// A real version would also `INSERT` into Postgres here via `sqlx` for
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ impl Reporter {
             "label": best.label,
             "confidence": best.confidence,
         });
-        self.redis.publish::<_, _, ()>(ALERT_CHANNEL, payload.to_string()).await?;
+        self.valkey.publish::<_, _, ()>(ALERT_CHANNEL, payload.to_string()).await?;
 
         println!("(would also INSERT this alert into Postgres for the audit trail)");