diff --git a/cmd/mavend/ack.go b/cmd/mavend/ack.go
index 9fcd430..7339a40 100644
--- a/cmd/mavend/ack.go
+++ b/cmd/mavend/ack.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 	"log"
 
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/loop"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/phraser"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/router"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/store"
 )
@@ -35,10 +36,10 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) resolveAck(ctx context.Context, text string, src turnS
 	}
 	if err := h.api.ResolveNudge(ctx, target.ID, store.NudgeActed, now); err != nil {
 		log.Printf("voice: ack nudge %d (%s, %s): %v", target.ID, target.Rule, src, err)
-		return "не получилось отметить.", true
+		return phraser.Ack(phraser.FailAck, nil), true
 	}
 	log.Printf("voice: acked nudge %d (rule %s) from %s", target.ID, target.Rule, src)
-	return "отлично, отметила.", true
+	return phraser.Ack(phraser.AckNudge, nil), true
 }
 
 // ackFromFact — post-action hook, called once the turn's decision has been
diff --git a/cmd/mavend/actions_fact.go b/cmd/mavend/actions_fact.go
index 5645282..d902642 100644
--- a/cmd/mavend/actions_fact.go
+++ b/cmd/mavend/actions_fact.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"strconv"
 
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/ipc"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/phraser"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/router"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/store"
 )
@@ -14,7 +15,7 @@ import (
 // it for recall, and let pattern detection propose a routine.
 func (h *reactiveHandler) actionFact(ctx context.Context, dec router.Decision) string {
 	if !dec.Slots.HasKey {
-		return "не разобрала, что записать — попробуй иначе."
+		return phraser.Ack(phraser.FailFactUnparsed, nil)
 	}
 	// A question is never a fact about him (#470). "какая последняя версия
 	// языка Go?" used to land here, and the value stored was whatever the
@@ -62,7 +63,7 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) actionFact(ctx context.Context, dec router.Decision) s
 	factID, err := h.api.WriteFact(ctx, req)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Printf("voice: write fact: %v", err)
-		return "не получилось сохранить факт."
+		return phraser.Ack(phraser.FailFact, nil)
 	}
 	// Index the fact in long-term memory (best-effort, must not fail the fact
 	// write). Facts aren't in the notes table, so this is the only recall path
diff --git a/cmd/mavend/actions_note.go b/cmd/mavend/actions_note.go
index c7c20a5..f8b79b5 100644
--- a/cmd/mavend/actions_note.go
+++ b/cmd/mavend/actions_note.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"log"
 	"strconv"
 
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/phraser"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/router"
 )
 
@@ -23,13 +24,13 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) actionNote(ctx context.Context, dec router.Decision) s
 	vec, err := router.EmbedPassage(ctx, h.embedder, dec.Utterance)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Printf("voice: embed note: %v", err)
-		return "не получилось сохранить заметку."
+		return phraser.Ack(phraser.FailNote, nil)
 	}
 	noteTs := h.now()
 	noteID, err := h.api.WriteNote(ctx, noteTs, dec.Utterance, vec, "tap:voice")
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Printf("voice: write note: %v", err)
-		return "не получилось сохранить заметку."
+		return phraser.Ack(phraser.FailNote, nil)
 	}
 	// Insert into long-term memory (best-effort, must not fail the note write).
 	// text/ts in the meta make a Search hit self-describing (see bestRecall).
diff --git a/cmd/mavend/actions_reminder.go b/cmd/mavend/actions_reminder.go
index ce2a632..ab9a544 100644
--- a/cmd/mavend/actions_reminder.go
+++ b/cmd/mavend/actions_reminder.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"log"
 
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/phraser"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/router"
 )
 
@@ -21,13 +22,13 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) actionReminder(ctx context.Context, dec router.Decisio
 			}
 		}
 		if !dec.Slots.HasTime {
-			return "не получилось разобрать время напоминания."
+			return phraser.Ack(phraser.FailReminderTime, nil)
 		}
 	}
 	payload := `{"text":` + jsonString(dec.Utterance) + `}`
 	if _, err := h.api.CreateReminder(ctx, dec.Slots.Time, payload, ""); err != nil {
 		log.Printf("voice: create reminder: %v", err)
-		return "не получилось поставить напоминание."
+		return phraser.Ack(phraser.FailReminder, nil)
 	}
 	return ""
 }
diff --git a/cmd/mavend/actions_task.go b/cmd/mavend/actions_task.go
index 99187f0..a2dded3 100644
--- a/cmd/mavend/actions_task.go
+++ b/cmd/mavend/actions_task.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"log"
 
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/ipc"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/phraser"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/router"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/store"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/tasks"
@@ -40,18 +41,18 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) captureTaskFromNote(ctx context.Context, dec router.De
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Printf("voice: capture task: %v", err)
-		return "не получилось записать задачу.", true
+		return phraser.Ack(phraser.FailTask, nil), true
 	}
 	if resp.Promoted {
 		// It was a candidate Maven derived from something she read, and he has
 		// now said it himself. Saying "уже в списке" here would be answering a
 		// confirmation with a shrug.
-		return "поняла, беру в работу: " + cap.Text, true
+		return phraser.Ack(phraser.AckTaskUrgent, map[string]string{"text": cap.Text}), true
 	}
 	if !resp.Created {
-		return "это уже в списке.", true
+		return phraser.Ack(phraser.AckTaskDuplicate, nil), true
 	}
-	return "записала: " + cap.Text, true
+	return phraser.Ack(phraser.AckTask, map[string]string{"text": cap.Text}), true
 }
 
 // queryTasks — "какие у меня задачи?", "что мне нужно сделать?".
diff --git a/cmd/mavend/actions_task_test.go b/cmd/mavend/actions_task_test.go
index 628b30d..33e304c 100644
--- a/cmd/mavend/actions_task_test.go
+++ b/cmd/mavend/actions_task_test.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/ipc"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/phraser"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/router"
 )
 
@@ -108,7 +109,7 @@ func TestCaptureTaskFromNoteReportsStoreFailure(t *testing.T) {
 	if !ok {
 		t.Fatal("a failed capture still claims the turn — the note path must not double-write")
 	}
-	if !strings.Contains(reply, "не получилось") {
+	if !phraser.IsAck(phraser.FailTask, nil, reply) {
 		t.Errorf("reply = %q, want an honest failure", reply)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/cmd/mavend/quiet_toggle.go b/cmd/mavend/quiet_toggle.go
index 1bbd922..02f6e10 100644
--- a/cmd/mavend/quiet_toggle.go
+++ b/cmd/mavend/quiet_toggle.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"unicode"
 
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/ipc"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/phraser"
 )
 
 // resolveQuietToggle — pre-route keyword check. Returns (reply, true) when
@@ -32,10 +33,10 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) resolveQuietToggle(ctx context.Context, text string, s
 		return "", false
 	}
 	val := "false"
-	reply := "тихий режим выключен."
+	reply := phraser.Ack(phraser.AckQuietOff, nil)
 	if on {
 		val = "true"
-		reply = "тихий режим включён. буду реже напоминать."
+		reply = phraser.Ack(phraser.AckQuietOn, nil)
 	}
 	if _, err := h.api.WriteFact(ctx, ipc.WriteFactReq{
 		Ts:         h.now(),
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) resolveQuietToggle(ctx context.Context, text string, s
 		Confidence: 1.0,
 	}); err != nil {
 		log.Printf("voice: write quiet_hours: %v", err)
-		return "не получилось переключить тихий режим.", true
+		return phraser.Ack(phraser.FailQuiet, nil), true
 	}
 	return reply, true
 }
diff --git a/cmd/mavend/replier_llm_test.go b/cmd/mavend/replier_llm_test.go
index fae6d39..075716a 100644
--- a/cmd/mavend/replier_llm_test.go
+++ b/cmd/mavend/replier_llm_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/llm"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/phraser"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/router"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/voice"
 )
@@ -29,12 +30,12 @@ func TestLLMReplierPassesTheModelReplyThrough(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestLLMReplierFallsBackToStubOnError(t *testing.T) {
 	r := newLLMReplier(stubCompleter{err: errReplierTest}, nil)
-	assertStub(t, r, router.Decision{Intent: router.IntentNote}, "llm error")
+	assertAck(t, r, router.Decision{Intent: router.IntentNote}, phraser.AckNote, "llm error")
 }
 
 func TestLLMReplierFallsBackToStubOnEmpty(t *testing.T) {
 	r := newLLMReplier(stubCompleter{out: ""}, nil)
-	assertStub(t, r, router.Decision{Intent: router.IntentNote}, "empty llm")
+	assertAck(t, r, router.Decision{Intent: router.IntentNote}, phraser.AckNote, "empty llm")
 }
 
 func TestLLMReplierClarifyUsesStub(t *testing.T) {
@@ -42,6 +43,16 @@ func TestLLMReplierClarifyUsesStub(t *testing.T) {
 	assertStub(t, r, router.Decision{Clarify: true}, "clarify")
 }
 
+// assertAck — the stub picks between variants now, so two calls to it are not
+// expected to match. What must hold is that the reply is a line that entry can
+// produce, which is the same claim without pinning one wording.
+func assertAck(t *testing.T, r *llmReplier, d router.Decision, key, what string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	if got := r.Reply(d); !phraser.IsAck(key, nil, got) {
+		t.Errorf("on %s: got %q, want a %q line", what, got, key)
+	}
+}
+
 func assertStub(t *testing.T, r *llmReplier, d router.Decision, what string) {
 	t.Helper()
 	got, want := r.Reply(d), voice.NewStubReplier().Reply(d)
diff --git a/cmd/mavend/snooze.go b/cmd/mavend/snooze.go
index 88fb235..f92c981 100644
--- a/cmd/mavend/snooze.go
+++ b/cmd/mavend/snooze.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/ipc"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/phraser"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/store"
 )
 
@@ -51,10 +52,10 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) resolveSnooze(ctx context.Context, text string, src tu
 	}
 	if err := h.api.ResolveNudge(ctx, target.ID, store.NudgeSnoozed, now); err != nil {
 		log.Printf("voice: snooze nudge %d (%s, %s): %v", target.ID, target.Rule, src, err)
-		return "не получилось отложить.", true
+		return phraser.Ack(phraser.FailSnooze, nil), true
 	}
 	log.Printf("voice: snoozed nudge %d (rule %s) from %s", target.ID, target.Rule, src)
-	return "хорошо, вернусь к этому позже.", true
+	return phraser.Ack(phraser.AckSnooze, nil), true
 }
 
 // pendingNudge — the newest still-pending nudge sent inside snoozeWindow.
diff --git a/internal/phraser/ack_ru_v1.json b/internal/phraser/ack_ru_v1.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..01f5254
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/phraser/ack_ru_v1.json
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+{
+  "schema_version": 1,
+  "name": "russian capture acknowledgements v1",
+  "notes": [
+    "What she says after storing something he said, and what she says when storing it failed. Edit the wording here, no Go changes needed.",
+    "Rules: she is feminine about herself, he is a man addressed as ты. Never вы/вас/ваш, never он/его about him. No pet names.",
+    "He hears these many times a day, so most entries carry variants: identical wording is what makes a confirmation stop registering as one.",
+    "Placeholders: {key} {value} the fact he stated, {fn} the action, {text} the task title. His data is interpolated Go-side — the file holds the frame, never his words.",
+    "An acknowledgement confirms and stops. It does not ask a follow-up question and it does not editorialise about what he stored."
+  ],
+  "entries": {
+    "ack_fact": {
+      "variants": ["записала факт.", "записала.", "запомнила."]
+    },
+    "ack_fact_key": {
+      "variants": ["отметила: {key}", "записала: {key}", "запомнила: {key}"]
+    },
+    "ack_fact_kv": {
+      "variants": ["отметила: {key} = {value}", "записала: {key} — {value}", "запомнила: {key} — {value}"]
+    },
+    "ack_note": {
+      "variants": ["сохранила заметку.", "заметка сохранена.", "записала в заметки."]
+    },
+    "ack_reminder": {
+      "variants": ["напомню.", "напомню, не забуду.", "хорошо, напомню."]
+    },
+    "ack_act": {
+      "variants": ["ок, записала действие: {fn}", "приняла действие: {fn}"]
+    },
+    "ack_task": {
+      "variants": ["записала: {text}", "добавила в задачи: {text}", "внесла в список: {text}"]
+    },
+    "ack_task_urgent": {
+      "variants": ["поняла, беру в работу: {text}", "поняла, это срочно: {text}"]
+    },
+    "ack_task_duplicate": {
+      "variants": ["это уже в списке.", "такое уже есть в задачах."]
+    },
+    "ack_nudge": {
+      "variants": ["отлично, отметила.", "отметила.", "хорошо, отметила."]
+    },
+    "ack_snooze": {
+      "variants": ["хорошо, вернусь к этому позже.", "ладно, напомню попозже.", "хорошо, отложила."]
+    },
+    "ack_generic": {
+      "variants": ["приняла.", "поняла."]
+    },
+    "quiet_on": {
+      "fixed": true,
+      "variants": ["тихий режим включён. буду реже напоминать."]
+    },
+    "quiet_off": {
+      "fixed": true,
+      "variants": ["тихий режим выключен."]
+    },
+    "fail_fact": {
+      "variants": ["не получилось сохранить факт.", "факт не сохранился."]
+    },
+    "fail_note": {
+      "variants": ["не получилось сохранить заметку.", "заметка не сохранилась."]
+    },
+    "fail_reminder": {
+      "variants": ["не получилось поставить напоминание.", "напоминание не поставилось."]
+    },
+    "fail_reminder_time": {
+      "variants": ["не получилось разобрать время напоминания.", "не поняла, на когда напомнить."]
+    },
+    "fail_task": {
+      "variants": ["не получилось записать задачу.", "задача не записалась."]
+    },
+    "fail_ack": {
+      "variants": ["не получилось отметить.", "не смогла отметить."]
+    },
+    "fail_snooze": {
+      "variants": ["не получилось отложить.", "не смогла отложить."]
+    },
+    "fail_quiet": {
+      "variants": ["не получилось переключить тихий режим.", "тихий режим не переключился."]
+    },
+    "fail_fact_unparsed": {
+      "variants": ["не разобрала, что записать — попробуй иначе.", "не поняла, что записать. скажи иначе?"]
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/internal/phraser/acks.go b/internal/phraser/acks.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..20c0be4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/phraser/acks.go
@@ -0,0 +1,162 @@
+package phraser
+
+// The capture acknowledgements — what she says after storing something he said,
+// and what she says when storing it failed.
+//
+// They were string literals in eight files under cmd/mavend plus the stub
+// replier in internal/voice. He hears them many times a day, which is exactly
+// why they need variants and exactly why rewording one must not be a rebuild.
+// Same shape as fallbacks_ru_v1.json, on the shared deck (deck.go).
+//
+// His data stays Go-side. The file holds "отметила: {key} = {value}"; the key
+// and the value are interpolated here, so nothing he said lives in the copy.
+
+import (
+	_ "embed"
+	"log"
+	"math/rand"
+	"sync"
+)
+
+//go:embed ack_ru_v1.json
+var ackJSON []byte
+
+// AckSchemaVersion — this family's own version. A file that changes on a
+// different day than the fallbacks cannot share their number (Vikunja #397).
+const AckSchemaVersion = 1
+
+// The entry keys. Namespaced by family, because the floor map behind a nil deck
+// is process-wide.
+const (
+	AckFact          = "ack_fact"
+	AckFactKey       = "ack_fact_key"
+	AckFactValue     = "ack_fact_kv"
+	AckNote          = "ack_note"
+	AckReminder      = "ack_reminder"
+	AckAct           = "ack_act"
+	AckTask          = "ack_task"
+	AckTaskUrgent    = "ack_task_urgent"
+	AckTaskDuplicate = "ack_task_duplicate"
+	AckNudge         = "ack_nudge"
+	AckSnooze        = "ack_snooze"
+	AckGeneric       = "ack_generic"
+	AckQuietOn       = "quiet_on"
+	AckQuietOff      = "quiet_off"
+
+	FailFact         = "fail_fact"
+	FailFactUnparsed = "fail_fact_unparsed"
+	FailNote         = "fail_note"
+	FailReminder     = "fail_reminder"
+	FailReminderTime = "fail_reminder_time"
+	FailTask         = "fail_task"
+	FailAck          = "fail_ack"
+	FailSnooze       = "fail_snooze"
+	FailQuiet        = "fail_quiet"
+)
+
+// ackKeys — every key the code requires the file to define.
+var ackKeys = []string{
+	AckFact, AckFactKey, AckFactValue, AckNote, AckReminder, AckAct,
+	AckTask, AckTaskUrgent, AckTaskDuplicate, AckNudge, AckSnooze, AckGeneric,
+	AckQuietOn, AckQuietOff,
+	FailFact, FailFactUnparsed, FailNote, FailReminder, FailReminderTime,
+	FailTask, FailAck, FailSnooze, FailQuiet,
+}
+
+// ackFloor — the literal each key falls back to when the file is unusable.
+// These are the exact strings that lived in Go before this file existed.
+var ackFloor = registerFloor(map[string]string{
+	AckFact:          "записала факт.",
+	AckFactKey:       "отметила: {key}",
+	AckFactValue:     "отметила: {key} = {value}",
+	AckNote:          "сохранила заметку.",
+	AckReminder:      "напомню.",
+	AckAct:           "ок, записала действие: {fn}",
+	AckTask:          "записала: {text}",
+	AckTaskUrgent:    "поняла, беру в работу: {text}",
+	AckTaskDuplicate: "это уже в списке.",
+	AckNudge:         "отлично, отметила.",
+	AckSnooze:        "хорошо, вернусь к этому позже.",
+	AckGeneric:       "приняла.",
+	AckQuietOn:       "тихий режим включён. буду реже напоминать.",
+	AckQuietOff:      "тихий режим выключен.",
+
+	FailFact:         "не получилось сохранить факт.",
+	FailFactUnparsed: "не разобрала, что записать — попробуй иначе.",
+	FailNote:         "не получилось сохранить заметку.",
+	FailReminder:     "не получилось поставить напоминание.",
+	FailReminderTime: "не получилось разобрать время напоминания.",
+	FailTask:         "не получилось записать задачу.",
+	FailAck:          "не получилось отметить.",
+	FailSnooze:       "не получилось отложить.",
+	FailQuiet:        "не получилось переключить тихий режим.",
+})
+
+// Acks picks a hand-written Russian acknowledgement. Safe for concurrent use.
+type Acks struct{ d *deck }
+
+// LoadAcks reads the embedded file. Pass a source to make the picking
+// reproducible in tests; nil seeds from the clock.
+func LoadAcks(src rand.Source) (*Acks, error) {
+	d, err := loadDeck(ackJSON, AckSchemaVersion, ackKeys, ackFloor, src)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	// The three entries that exist to read his own words back. A variant
+	// without the placeholder would confirm the capture and drop what was
+	// captured, which reads as a successful save of nothing.
+	for _, req := range []struct{ key, ph string }{
+		{AckFactKey, "{key}"}, {AckFactValue, "{key}"}, {AckFactValue, "{value}"},
+		{AckAct, "{fn}"}, {AckTask, "{text}"}, {AckTaskUrgent, "{text}"},
+	} {
+		if err := d.requirePlaceholder(req.key, req.ph); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	}
+	return &Acks{d: d}, nil
+}
+
+// deck reads through a nil *Acks, which is the unloadable-file case.
+func (a *Acks) deck() *deck {
+	if a == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return a.d
+}
+
+// Say returns one line for key, with his data filled into the frame. Pass nil
+// when the entry takes none.
+func (a *Acks) Say(key string, vars map[string]string) string {
+	return a.deck().text(key, vars)
+}
+
+// Variants returns every line the file can produce, for the persona scorer.
+func (a *Acks) Variants() []string { return a.deck().variants() }
+
+var (
+	ackOnce sync.Once
+	acks    *Acks
+)
+
+// DefaultAcks returns the shared instance, loading it on first use. A broken
+// file logs once and leaves a nil *Acks, which still answers from ackFloor.
+func DefaultAcks() *Acks {
+	ackOnce.Do(func() {
+		a, err := LoadAcks(nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Printf("phraser: acknowledgements unavailable, using the built-in lines: %v", err)
+			return
+		}
+		acks = a
+	})
+	return acks
+}
+
+// Ack — one acknowledgement line, the way every caller says it.
+func Ack(key string, vars map[string]string) string { return DefaultAcks().Say(key, vars) }
+
+// IsAck reports whether text is a line key could have produced. For the daemon
+// tests, which can no longer compare against one literal.
+func IsAck(key string, vars map[string]string, text string) bool {
+	return DefaultAcks().deck().matches(key, vars, text)
+}
diff --git a/internal/phraser/deck.go b/internal/phraser/deck.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1f53745
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/phraser/deck.go
@@ -0,0 +1,181 @@
+package phraser
+
+// deck — the mechanics every family of hand-written Russian lines shares.
+//
+// A family is one embedded JSON file: schema-versioned, several variants per
+// entry, never the same variant twice running, and a hard floor of Go literals
+// under it so a broken file cannot take her words away. fallbacks.go was the
+// first family (Vikunja #501) and acks.go the second, at which point copying
+// eighty lines of loader per family stopped being defensible.
+//
+// What stays per family: the file, the keys, the floor literals, the accessor
+// names, and any validation only that family can state.
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"math/rand"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// deckEntry — one line she can say, in as many wordings as the file gives.
+type deckEntry struct {
+	// Fixed — one variant, never picked between. For wording that must not
+	// drift from turn to turn, like a phrase naming one specific gap.
+	Fixed    bool     `json:"fixed"`
+	Variants []string `json:"variants"`
+}
+
+type deckFile struct {
+	SchemaVersion int                  `json:"schema_version"`
+	Name          string               `json:"name"`
+	Notes         []string             `json:"notes"`
+	Entries       map[string]deckEntry `json:"entries"`
+}
+
+// deck picks a line. Safe for concurrent use. A nil *deck answers from the
+// floor, which is what an unloadable file leaves behind.
+type deck struct {
+	mu    sync.Mutex
+	rnd   *rand.Rand
+	last  map[string]string
+	file  deckFile
+	keys  []string
+	floor map[string]string
+}
+
+// loadDeck parses raw, checks the version and every required key, and seeds the
+// picker. Pass a source to make the picking reproducible in tests; nil seeds
+// from the clock.
+func loadDeck(raw []byte, version int, keys []string, floor map[string]string, src rand.Source) (*deck, error) {
+	var f deckFile
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(raw, &f); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("parse: %w", err)
+	}
+	if f.SchemaVersion != version {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("schema_version %d, want %d", f.SchemaVersion, version)
+	}
+	for _, k := range keys {
+		e, ok := f.Entries[k]
+		if !ok || len(e.Variants) == 0 {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("entry %q is missing or empty", k)
+		}
+		if e.Fixed && len(e.Variants) != 1 {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("entry %q is fixed but has %d variants", k, len(e.Variants))
+		}
+	}
+	if src == nil {
+		src = rand.NewSource(time.Now().UnixNano())
+	}
+	return &deck{rnd: rand.New(src), last: map[string]string{}, file: f, keys: keys, floor: floor}, nil
+}
+
+// requirePlaceholder fails the load when a variant of key does not use ph. For
+// an entry whose whole job is to read something back, a variant without the
+// placeholder silently drops it.
+func (d *deck) requirePlaceholder(key, ph string) error {
+	for _, v := range d.file.Entries[key].Variants {
+		if !strings.Contains(v, ph) {
+			return fmt.Errorf("%q variant %q does not use %s", key, v, ph)
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// text returns one variant for key with the placeholders filled in. A nil
+// receiver answers from the floor, so no caller checks whether the file loaded.
+func (d *deck) text(key string, vars map[string]string) string {
+	tmpl := ""
+	if d != nil {
+		if e, ok := d.file.Entries[key]; ok && len(e.Variants) > 0 {
+			tmpl = d.pick(key, e)
+		}
+	}
+	if tmpl == "" {
+		tmpl = floorOf(d, key)
+	}
+	return fill(tmpl, vars)
+}
+
+// matches reports whether text is a line key could have produced. A caller that
+// has to recognise one of these lines cannot compare against a literal any more.
+func (d *deck) matches(key string, vars map[string]string, text string) bool {
+	if fill(floorOf(d, key), vars) == text {
+		return true
+	}
+	if d == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	for _, v := range d.file.Entries[key].Variants {
+		if fill(v, vars) == text {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+// variants returns every line the file can produce, in key order, for the
+// persona scorer. Stable order so a failure names the same variant twice.
+func (d *deck) variants() []string {
+	if d == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	var out []string
+	for _, k := range d.keys {
+		out = append(out, d.file.Entries[k].Variants...)
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// pick chooses at random, skipping whatever this entry said last time.
+func (d *deck) pick(key string, e deckEntry) string {
+	d.mu.Lock()
+	defer d.mu.Unlock()
+
+	choices := e.Variants
+	if len(choices) > 1 {
+		fresh := make([]string, 0, len(choices))
+		for _, v := range choices {
+			if v != d.last[key] {
+				fresh = append(fresh, v)
+			}
+		}
+		if len(fresh) > 0 {
+			choices = fresh
+		}
+	}
+	got := choices[d.rnd.Intn(len(choices))]
+	d.last[key] = got
+	return got
+}
+
+// floorOf reads the Go literal behind key, and works on a nil deck because that
+// is exactly the case it exists for. The per-family map is the source of truth.
+func floorOf(d *deck, key string) string {
+	if d != nil && d.floor != nil {
+		return d.floor[key]
+	}
+	return deckFloors[key]
+}
+
+// deckFloors — every family's floor literals in one map, so a nil deck still
+// finds them. Families register at init; the keys are namespaced by family.
+var deckFloors = map[string]string{}
+
+func registerFloor(floor map[string]string) map[string]string {
+	for k, v := range floor {
+		deckFloors[k] = v
+	}
+	return floor
+}
+
+// fill substitutes {name} for each var. A placeholder with no value is left
+// alone rather than blanked, so a missing value is visible instead of silent.
+func fill(tmpl string, vars map[string]string) string {
+	for k, v := range vars {
+		tmpl = strings.ReplaceAll(tmpl, "{"+k+"}", v)
+	}
+	return tmpl
+}
diff --git a/internal/phraser/eval/fallbacks_test.go b/internal/phraser/eval/fallbacks_test.go
index 3794a54..55c4fe5 100644
--- a/internal/phraser/eval/fallbacks_test.go
+++ b/internal/phraser/eval/fallbacks_test.go
@@ -8,13 +8,13 @@ import (
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/phraser"
 )
 
-// TestFallbackPersona scores every line in fallbacks_ru_v1.json on the persona
-// checks the nudges are already held to. These lines are heard out loud, and
-// they live in a JSON file now, so a reworded variant that says "рад" or "вы"
-// would otherwise reach him with nothing between it and the speaker.
+// TestFallbackPersona scores every line in fallbacks_ru_v1.json and
+// ack_ru_v1.json on the persona checks the nudges already pass. These lines are
+// heard out loud and they live in a JSON file now, so a reworded variant that
+// says "рад" or "вы" would otherwise reach him with nothing in between.
 //
 // Only the persona checks run. Mood and topic belong to a nudge, and these are
-// not nudges: they are what she says when there is no answer.
+// not nudges.
 func TestFallbackPersona(t *testing.T) {
 	fb, err := phraser.LoadFallbacks(rand.NewSource(20260804))
 	if err != nil {
@@ -24,13 +24,20 @@ func TestFallbackPersona(t *testing.T) {
 		CheckLang: true, CheckFeminine: true, CheckHisGender: true,
 		CheckAddress: true, CheckCringe: true, CheckLength: true,
 	}
-	variants := fb.Variants()
+	ack, err := phraser.LoadAcks(rand.NewSource(20260804))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("LoadAcks: %v", err)
+	}
+	variants := append(fb.Variants(), ack.Variants()...)
 	if len(variants) == 0 {
 		t.Fatal("no variants — the file loaded empty")
 	}
 	for _, v := range variants {
-		// {sources} stands for his own notes and never carries persona of its own.
-		body := strings.ReplaceAll(v, "{sources}", "два литра")
+		// The placeholders stand for his own words and carry no persona.
+		body := v
+		for _, ph := range []string{"{sources}", "{key}", "{value}", "{fn}", "{text}"} {
+			body = strings.ReplaceAll(body, ph, "вода")
+		}
 		for _, r := range RunChecks(Case{}, body, "neutral") {
 			if persona[r.Name] && !r.Pass {
 				t.Errorf("%q fails %s: %s", v, r.Name, r.Detail)
diff --git a/internal/phraser/failure_test.go b/internal/phraser/failure_test.go
index 5afbd5c..714acc0 100644
--- a/internal/phraser/failure_test.go
+++ b/internal/phraser/failure_test.go
@@ -13,16 +13,7 @@ import (
 // fallbacks_ru_v1.json break Go tests, which is the coupling this file removed.
 func isFallback(t *testing.T, key, sources, got string) bool {
 	t.Helper()
-	e, ok := DefaultFallbacks().file.Entries[key]
-	if !ok {
-		t.Fatalf("no fallback entry %q", key)
-	}
-	for _, v := range e.Variants {
-		if strings.ReplaceAll(v, "{sources}", sources) == got {
-			return true
-		}
-	}
-	return false
+	return DefaultFallbacks().deck().matches(key, map[string]string{"sources": sources}, got)
 }
 
 // A dead server must be distinguishable from bad phrasing. Both PhraseChat and
diff --git a/internal/phraser/fallbacks.go b/internal/phraser/fallbacks.go
index b047d60..a9c7058 100644
--- a/internal/phraser/fallbacks.go
+++ b/internal/phraser/fallbacks.go
@@ -5,8 +5,6 @@ package phraser
 // They were four string literals spread across phraser.go, llmphraser.go and
 // cmd/mavend/worldmodel.go. Every one of them is a line he hears out loud, so
 // rewording one was a Go edit, a rebuild and a redeploy for what is product copy.
-// This is the same shape nudges_ru_v1.json already uses for nudges: embedded,
-// schema-versioned, several variants, and never the same variant twice running.
 //
 // The floor under the floor is deliberate. These strings exist because something
 // already failed, so a broken template file must not be able to take the last
@@ -14,13 +12,9 @@ package phraser
 
 import (
 	_ "embed"
-	"encoding/json"
-	"fmt"
 	"log"
 	"math/rand"
-	"strings"
 	"sync"
-	"time"
 )
 
 //go:embed fallbacks_ru_v1.json
@@ -45,132 +39,56 @@ var fbKeys = []string{fbChat, fbQueryUnknown, fbQuerySources, fbWorldGap}
 
 // hardFloor — the literal each key falls back to when the file is unusable.
 // These are the exact strings that lived in Go before this file existed.
-var hardFloor = map[string]string{
+var hardFloor = registerFloor(map[string]string{
 	fbChat:         "даже не знаю, что сказать.",
 	fbQueryUnknown: "не знаю.",
 	fbQuerySources: "вот что я нашла: {sources}",
 	fbWorldGap:     "сейчас не могу ответить — большая модель недоступна, а придумывать не хочу.",
-}
+})
 
-type fallbackEntry struct {
-	// Fixed — one variant, never picked between. For wording that must not drift
-	// from turn to turn, like the gap phrase that names an unavailable model.
-	Fixed    bool     `json:"fixed"`
-	Variants []string `json:"variants"`
-}
-
-type fallbackFile struct {
-	SchemaVersion int                      `json:"schema_version"`
-	Name          string                   `json:"name"`
-	Notes         []string                 `json:"notes"`
-	Entries       map[string]fallbackEntry `json:"entries"`
-}
-
-// Fallbacks picks a hand-written Russian fallback line.
-//
-// Safe for concurrent use. Never the same variant twice in a row for the same
-// entry: hearing the identical words every time a request fails is how a failure
-// stops registering as one.
-type Fallbacks struct {
-	mu   sync.Mutex
-	rnd  *rand.Rand
-	last map[string]string
-	file fallbackFile
-}
+// Fallbacks picks a hand-written Russian fallback line. Safe for concurrent use.
+type Fallbacks struct{ d *deck }
 
 // LoadFallbacks reads the embedded file. Pass a source to make the picking
 // reproducible in tests; nil seeds from the clock.
 func LoadFallbacks(src rand.Source) (*Fallbacks, error) {
-	var f fallbackFile
-	if err := json.Unmarshal(fallbackJSON, &f); err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("fallbacks: parse: %w", err)
+	d, err := loadDeck(fallbackJSON, FallbackSchemaVersion, fbKeys, hardFloor, src)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
-	if f.SchemaVersion != FallbackSchemaVersion {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("fallbacks: schema_version %d, want %d",
-			f.SchemaVersion, FallbackSchemaVersion)
+	// query_sources is the one entry whose whole job is to read something back.
+	if err := d.requirePlaceholder(fbQuerySources, "{sources}"); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
-	for _, k := range fbKeys {
-		e, ok := f.Entries[k]
-		if !ok || len(e.Variants) == 0 {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("fallbacks: entry %q is missing or empty", k)
-		}
-		if e.Fixed && len(e.Variants) != 1 {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("fallbacks: entry %q is fixed but has %d variants", k, len(e.Variants))
-		}
-	}
-	// query_sources is the one entry whose whole job is to read something back,
-	// so a variant without the placeholder would silently drop the sources.
-	for _, v := range f.Entries[fbQuerySources].Variants {
-		if !strings.Contains(v, "{sources}") {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("fallbacks: %q variant %q does not use {sources}", fbQuerySources, v)
-		}
-	}
-	if src == nil {
-		src = rand.NewSource(time.Now().UnixNano())
-	}
-	return &Fallbacks{rnd: rand.New(src), last: map[string]string{}, file: f}, nil
+	return &Fallbacks{d: d}, nil
 }
 
-// text returns one variant for key, with {sources} filled in. A nil receiver is
-// the unloadable-file case and answers from hardFloor, so the caller never has
-// to check whether the templates loaded.
-func (f *Fallbacks) text(key, sources string) string {
-	tmpl := hardFloor[key]
-	if f != nil {
-		if e, ok := f.file.Entries[key]; ok && len(e.Variants) > 0 {
-			tmpl = f.pick(key, e)
-		}
+// deck reads through a nil *Fallbacks, which is the unloadable-file case.
+func (f *Fallbacks) deck() *deck {
+	if f == nil {
+		return nil
 	}
-	return strings.ReplaceAll(tmpl, "{sources}", sources)
-}
-
-// pick chooses at random, skipping whatever this entry said last time.
-func (f *Fallbacks) pick(key string, e fallbackEntry) string {
-	f.mu.Lock()
-	defer f.mu.Unlock()
-
-	choices := e.Variants
-	if len(choices) > 1 {
-		fresh := make([]string, 0, len(choices))
-		for _, v := range choices {
-			if v != f.last[key] {
-				fresh = append(fresh, v)
-			}
-		}
-		if len(fresh) > 0 {
-			choices = fresh
-		}
-	}
-	got := choices[f.rnd.Intn(len(choices))]
-	f.last[key] = got
-	return got
+	return f.d
 }
 
 // Chat — nothing usable came back on the chat path.
-func (f *Fallbacks) Chat() string { return f.text(fbChat, "") }
+func (f *Fallbacks) Chat() string { return f.deck().text(fbChat, nil) }
 
 // Unknown — a question she cannot answer and will not guess at.
-func (f *Fallbacks) Unknown() string { return f.text(fbQueryUnknown, "") }
+func (f *Fallbacks) Unknown() string { return f.deck().text(fbQueryUnknown, nil) }
 
 // FromSources — read back what she was handed, because phrasing it failed.
 func (f *Fallbacks) FromSources(sources string) string {
-	return f.text(fbQuerySources, sources)
+	return f.deck().text(fbQuerySources, map[string]string{"sources": sources})
 }
 
 // WorldGap — the world model is the one configured to answer and it is not
 // answering. Fixed wording: it names a specific gap, and a variant set here
 // would let "the big model is asleep" drift into "I don't know".
-func (f *Fallbacks) WorldGap() string { return f.text(fbWorldGap, "") }
+func (f *Fallbacks) WorldGap() string { return f.deck().text(fbWorldGap, nil) }
 
 // Variants returns every line the file can produce, for the persona scorer.
-// Order is stable so a failure names the same variant twice running.
-func (f *Fallbacks) Variants() []string {
-	var out []string
-	for _, k := range fbKeys {
-		out = append(out, f.file.Entries[k].Variants...)
-	}
-	return out
-}
+func (f *Fallbacks) Variants() []string { return f.deck().variants() }
 
 // The process-wide instance. Package-level because these lines are needed on
 // paths that have no phraser to hand — cmd/mavend names the world gap without
@@ -208,31 +126,13 @@ func SourcesFallback(sources string) string { return DefaultFallbacks().FromSour
 // WorldGap — what he hears when the world model is configured and unreachable.
 func WorldGap() string { return DefaultFallbacks().WorldGap() }
 
-// matches reports whether text is a line the given entry could have produced.
-// A caller that has to recognise a fallback cannot compare against one literal
-// any more, because the entry picks between variants.
-func (f *Fallbacks) matches(key, sources, text string) bool {
-	if strings.ReplaceAll(hardFloor[key], "{sources}", sources) == text {
-		return true
-	}
-	if f == nil {
-		return false
-	}
-	for _, v := range f.file.Entries[key].Variants {
-		if strings.ReplaceAll(v, "{sources}", sources) == text {
-			return true
-		}
-	}
-	return false
-}
-
 // IsUnknownFallback reports whether text is one of her "I do not know" lines.
 // The daemon tests read it to tell an answer from a shrug.
 func IsUnknownFallback(text string) bool {
-	return DefaultFallbacks().matches(fbQueryUnknown, "", text)
+	return DefaultFallbacks().deck().matches(fbQueryUnknown, nil, text)
 }
 
 // IsSourcesFallback reports whether text is sources read back verbatim.
 func IsSourcesFallback(text, sources string) bool {
-	return DefaultFallbacks().matches(fbQuerySources, sources, text)
+	return DefaultFallbacks().deck().matches(fbQuerySources, map[string]string{"sources": sources}, text)
 }
diff --git a/internal/phraser/fallbacks_test.go b/internal/phraser/fallbacks_test.go
index ecec0ec..789badc 100644
--- a/internal/phraser/fallbacks_test.go
+++ b/internal/phraser/fallbacks_test.go
@@ -55,3 +55,20 @@ func TestFallbacksDoNotRepeat(t *testing.T) {
 		prev = got
 	}
 }
+
+// The acknowledgements load, fill his words into the frame, and answer from the
+// floor when the file is gone.
+func TestAcksLoad(t *testing.T) {
+	a, err := LoadAcks(rand.NewSource(1))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("LoadAcks: %v", err)
+	}
+	got := a.Say(AckFactValue, map[string]string{"key": "вода", "value": "2л"})
+	if !strings.Contains(got, "вода") || !strings.Contains(got, "2л") {
+		t.Errorf("Say(%s) = %q, want his key and value in it", AckFactValue, got)
+	}
+	var nilAcks *Acks
+	if got := nilAcks.Say(AckNote, nil); got != ackFloor[AckNote] {
+		t.Errorf("nil Acks said %q, want the floor %q", got, ackFloor[AckNote])
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/voice/replier.go b/internal/voice/replier.go
index 1f6e71f..b1c5cca 100644
--- a/internal/voice/replier.go
+++ b/internal/voice/replier.go
@@ -25,7 +25,10 @@
 // the daemon seam (config wiring, no CoreAPI or voice-package change).
 package voice
 
-import "github.com/kami/maven/internal/router"
+import (
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/phraser"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/router"
+)
 
 // Replier — the reactive reply phrasing seam. The daemon's reactive handler
 // calls Reply with the router's Decision; the impl produces a terse reply
@@ -60,27 +63,24 @@ func (s *StubReplier) Reply(d router.Decision) string {
 		if !d.Slots.HasFn {
 			return "не могу это сделать — не разобрала действие."
 		}
-		return "ок, записала действие: " + d.Slots.Fn
+		return phraser.Ack(phraser.AckAct, map[string]string{"fn": d.Slots.Fn})
 	case router.IntentReminder:
-		if d.Slots.HasTime {
-			return "напомню."
-		}
-		return "напомню."
+		return phraser.Ack(phraser.AckReminder, nil)
 	case router.IntentFact:
 		if d.Slots.HasKey {
 			if d.Slots.Value != "" {
-				return "отметила: " + d.Slots.Key + " = " + d.Slots.Value
+				return phraser.Ack(phraser.AckFactValue, map[string]string{"key": d.Slots.Key, "value": d.Slots.Value})
 			}
-			return "отметила: " + d.Slots.Key
+			return phraser.Ack(phraser.AckFactKey, map[string]string{"key": d.Slots.Key})
 		}
-		return "записала факт."
+		return phraser.Ack(phraser.AckFact, nil)
 	case router.IntentNote:
-		return "сохранила заметку."
+		return phraser.Ack(phraser.AckNote, nil)
 	case router.IntentQuery:
 		return "поискала в заметках — ничего не нашла."
 	case router.IntentChat:
 		return "поговорили." // stub — LLMReplier replaces this
 	default:
-		return "приняла."
+		return phraser.Ack(phraser.AckGeneric, nil)
 	}
 }