diff --git a/TASK.md b/TASK.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..87184e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/TASK.md
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# Task 06G4E6F69AKP2PA00S28D7ASBC
+
+Add a --quiet flag to the healthcheck script
+
+- Project: test-e2e
+- Source: gitea:test-e2e/7
+- Priority: 0
+
+## Instructions
+
+scripts/orchestra_e2e_healthcheck.sh already handles --help. Add a --quiet flag alongside it that suppresses the success line and still exits 0. Leave the default behaviour and the --help output unchanged.
+
+## Completion
+
+Run the configured quality gate. When the task is ready for the worker to verify and deliver, create `.orchestra/done`. Do not write a prose completion report.
+
+This file is immutable for the lifetime of the task (§6.2) — its hash is
+carried in every handoff and re-verified on every pickup. Do not edit it.
diff --git a/scripts/orchestra_e2e_healthcheck.sh b/scripts/orchestra_e2e_healthcheck.sh
index 3113bc2..5ebab4c 100755
--- a/scripts/orchestra_e2e_healthcheck.sh
+++ b/scripts/orchestra_e2e_healthcheck.sh
@@ -1,16 +1,20 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 
 main() {
+  local quiet=
   for arg in "$@"; do
     if [ "$arg" = --help ]; then
-      printf 'Usage: %s\n\n' "${0##*/}"
+      printf 'Usage: %s [--quiet]\n\n' "${0##*/}"
       printf 'Healthcheck script for Orchestra E2E tests.\n'
       printf 'Exits 0 with a success message if all checks pass.\n'
+      printf '  --quiet  Suppress the success message; still exits 0.\n'
       exit 0
+    elif [ "$arg" = --quiet ]; then
+      quiet=1
     fi
   done
 
-  printf 'OK - all healthchecks passed\n'
+  [ -n "$quiet" ] || printf 'OK - all healthchecks passed\n'
   exit 0
 }
 
diff --git a/scripts/test_healthcheck.sh b/scripts/test_healthcheck.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..d14a80e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/test_healthcheck.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Self-check for orchestra_e2e_healthcheck.sh.
+
+HC="$(dirname "$0")/orchestra_e2e_healthcheck.sh"
+OK='OK - all healthchecks passed'
+USAGE="$(printf 'Usage: orchestra_e2e_healthcheck.sh [--quiet]\n\nHealthcheck script for Orchestra E2E tests.\nExits 0 with a success message if all checks pass.\n  --quiet  Suppress the success message; still exits 0.')"
+fails=0
+
+check() { # check <expected-stdout> <label> [args...]
+  local want=$1 label=$2 got status
+  shift 2
+  got=$(bash "$HC" "$@" 2>/dev/null)
+  status=$?
+  if [ "$got" != "$want" ] || [ "$status" -ne 0 ]; then
+    printf 'FAIL: %s (exit=%s)\n---got---\n%s\n---want---\n%s\n' "$label" "$status" "$got" "$want"
+    fails=$((fails + 1))
+  fi
+}
+
+check "$OK" 'no args'
+check '' '--quiet' --quiet
+check "$USAGE" '--help' --help
+check "$USAGE" '--help --quiet' --help --quiet
+check "$USAGE" '--quiet --help' --quiet --help
+check "$OK" 'unknown flag ignored' --bogus
+
+[ "$fails" -eq 0 ] || exit 1
+printf 'all checks passed\n'