diff --git a/audit-findings.md b/audit-findings.md
index 083ff3d..080c7cc 100644
--- a/audit-findings.md
+++ b/audit-findings.md
@@ -4021,3 +4021,99 @@ known signal source on Xbox 360 audio engines; the stub may be
 hiding the producer for one of the 3 handles. If that lead is also
 falsified, escalate to file I/O completion (`signal_io_completion_event`
 already real but possibly mis-routed) or Timer DPC delivery.
+
+### APUBUG-PRODUCER-001 — XAudioRegisterRenderDriverClient was stub + no callback ticker
+
+**Status:** fixed (registration + ticker + injection landed). Hypothesis
+falsified for handles `0x1004` / `0x100c` / `0x15e4`.
+
+**Site:** `crates/xenia-kernel/src/exports.rs:2624` (pre-fix); the
+`XAudioUnregister*` and `XAudioSubmitRenderDriverFrame` exports
+shared the same fate (stubs). New module: `crates/xenia-kernel/src/xaudio.rs`.
+
+**Canary parity:**
+- `xenia-canary/src/xenia/kernel/xboxkrnl/xboxkrnl_audio.cc:56-93`
+  (the three exports — register reads `callback_ptr[0..1]` for the
+  guest callback PC + arg, allocates a 4-byte heap buffer holding
+  `callback_arg` big-endian as `wrapped_callback_arg`, and writes
+  `0x4155_0000 | index` to `*driver_ptr`).
+- `xenia-canary/src/xenia/apu/audio_system.cc:202-237` (`RegisterClient`)
+  + `:100-159` (`WorkerThreadMain` — host worker that waits on
+  per-client semaphores and calls
+  `processor_->Execute(callback, args=[wrapped_callback_arg], 1)`,
+  i.e. r3 = wrapped pointer).
+- `xenia-canary/src/xenia/apu/xaudio2/xaudio2_audio_driver.cc:34-36`
+  (`OnBufferEnd → semaphore_->Release(1)`) — drives the steady-state
+  cadence at 256 samples / 48 kHz = ~5.33 ms.
+
+**Implementation:**
+- `XAudioRegisterRenderDriverClient`: reads `callback_ptr[0..1]`,
+  allocates 4-byte guest heap, writes `callback_arg` BE, registers in
+  the new `XAudioState` table, writes `0x4155_xxxx` to `*driver_ptr`.
+- `XAudioUnregisterRenderDriverClient`: clears the slot identified by
+  `driver_id & 0xFFFF`.
+- `XAudioSubmitRenderDriverFrame`: returns `STATUS_SUCCESS` (no
+  buffer state yet — XmaDecoder unimplemented).
+- `XAudioState::tick_instr` (lockstep) and `tick_wallclock`
+  (`--parallel`) — same dual-mode pattern as KRNBUG-D08 v-sync.
+  `XAUDIO_INSTR_PERIOD = 48_000` and `XAUDIO_PERIOD = 5.333 ms`
+  approximate canary's frame rate.
+- `try_inject_audio_callback` (xenia-app) injects via the same
+  `SavedCallbackCtx` machinery as graphics interrupts; mutual
+  exclusion via the shared `interrupts.saved` slot. r3 is set to
+  `wrapped_callback_arg` per canary `processor_->Execute`.
+
+**Gating:** the periodic ticker + injector run only when
+`--xaudio-tick` / `XENIA_XAUDIO_TICK=1` is set. Default off because
+firing the callback hijacks a guest HW thread (we don't have a
+dedicated host worker thread) and Sylpheed's callback enters
+something resembling an infinite wait loop on its first invocation,
+which regresses `swaps=2 → 1` and explodes `imports` 12× at -n 100M.
+Default-off preserves all existing lockstep goldens
+(`sylpheed_n50m.json` etc.).
+
+**Verification:**
+- Workspace tests: 562 → 576 green (10 in `xaudio.rs` + 4 in
+  `exports.rs`).
+- `--stable-digest -n 100M` lockstep, default off:
+  `instructions=100000002`, `swaps=2`, `imports=987685` — IDENTICAL
+  to pre-change baseline; goldens unaffected.
+- `--stable-digest -n 100M --xaudio-tick`: `instructions=100000001`
+  (1-instr boundary shift, deterministic across runs — verified by
+  byte-identical digest JSON), `swaps=1` (regression), `imports=12.3M`
+  (mostly `KeWaitForSingleObject` — 4M calls — confirming the
+  callback enters a tight wait loop). 1 audio callback fires
+  (`xaudio.callback.delivered = 1`) but apparently never returns to
+  `LR_HALT_SENTINEL`, so subsequent fires are gated out by
+  `is_in_callback() == true`.
+- `--xaudio-tick -n 500M --halt-on-deadlock --trace-handles-focus`:
+  all 3 handles still show `signal_attempts=0 (primary=0, ghost=0)`.
+
+**Outcome — falsified for this set of handles:** running the audio
+buffer-complete callback once does **not** wake handles `0x1004` /
+`0x100c` / `0x15e4`. The producer is not the audio path (or, more
+weakly: it's not the *first* iteration of the audio callback).
+
+**Side effects worth noting for the next session:**
+1. The fact that the audio callback fires once and apparently never
+   returns is itself diagnostic — Sylpheed's audio callback waits on
+   *something* the canary worker provides (probably a semaphore
+   credit on `client_semaphore`, drained by `OnBufferEnd`). Our
+   `XAudioSubmitRenderDriverFrame` is a stub; if a future session
+   wires the audio submit → buffer-completion-event → next-callback
+   loop properly, the callback might return and the question
+   re-opens.
+2. The SavedCallbackCtx-injection mechanism is a poor fit for
+   blocking callbacks. Canary uses a dedicated `XHostThread`
+   (audio worker) that runs each callback on its own stack. If we
+   want clean audio-callback semantics we'd need a similar
+   per-driver guest-thread spawn at registration time.
+
+### Recommended next producer candidate (post-APUBUG-PRODUCER-001)
+
+Per the producer-hunt charter the remaining strong candidates are
+**Timer DPC delivery** (`KeSetTimer` / `KeInsertQueueDpc` —
+`exports.rs` has stubs/partials) and **file I/O completion event
+routing**. Timer DPC is the next-strongest because the parked
+handles are explicit `Event/Manual`s with no current waker, and
+Xbox 360 timer-driven DPCs are a common signal source.
diff --git a/crates/xenia-app/src/main.rs b/crates/xenia-app/src/main.rs
index 08b411f..747c4b2 100644
--- a/crates/xenia-app/src/main.rs
+++ b/crates/xenia-app/src/main.rs
@@ -166,6 +166,16 @@ enum Commands {
         /// `XENIA_PARALLEL=1`.
         #[arg(long)]
         parallel: bool,
+        /// **APUBUG-PRODUCER-001 diagnostic.** When set, the round
+        /// prologue ticks the XAudio buffer-complete callback at the
+        /// audio frame rate and injects via the same SavedCallbackCtx
+        /// machinery as graphics interrupts. Default off — firing
+        /// shifts the boot trajectory enough to regress `swaps=2→1`
+        /// under Sylpheed, which would break the lockstep
+        /// `sylpheed_n*m.json` goldens. Settable via
+        /// `XENIA_XAUDIO_TICK=1`.
+        #[arg(long)]
+        xaudio_tick: bool,
     },
     /// Browse XISO disc image contents
     Browse {
@@ -255,6 +265,11 @@ enum Commands {
         /// M3 — spawn HW-thread host workers under coarse Arc<Mutex<KernelState>>.
         #[arg(long)]
         parallel: bool,
+        /// APUBUG-PRODUCER-001 diagnostic — enable the XAudio buffer-complete
+        /// callback ticker. Default off; see the `Exec --xaudio-tick` doc for
+        /// rationale.
+        #[arg(long)]
+        xaudio_tick: bool,
     },
 }
 
@@ -315,6 +330,7 @@ fn main() -> Result<()> {
             gpu_inline,
             reservations_table,
             parallel,
+            xaudio_tick,
         } => cmd_exec(
             &path,
             max_instructions,
@@ -332,6 +348,7 @@ fn main() -> Result<()> {
             gpu_inline,
             reservations_table,
             parallel,
+            xaudio_tick,
         ),
         Commands::Browse { path } => cmd_browse(&path),
         Commands::Info { path } => cmd_info(&path),
@@ -347,6 +364,7 @@ fn main() -> Result<()> {
             gpu_inline,
             reservations_table,
             parallel,
+            xaudio_tick,
         } => cmd_check(
             &path,
             max_instructions,
@@ -357,6 +375,7 @@ fn main() -> Result<()> {
             gpu_inline,
             reservations_table,
             parallel,
+            xaudio_tick,
         ),
     };
 
@@ -530,6 +549,7 @@ fn cmd_exec(
     gpu_inline: bool,
     reservations_table: bool,
     parallel: bool,
+    xaudio_tick: bool,
 ) -> Result<()> {
     cmd_exec_inner(
         path,
@@ -548,6 +568,7 @@ fn cmd_exec(
         gpu_inline,
         reservations_table,
         parallel,
+        xaudio_tick,
         None,
         None,
         false,
@@ -566,6 +587,7 @@ fn cmd_check(
     gpu_inline: bool,
     reservations_table: bool,
     parallel: bool,
+    xaudio_tick: bool,
 ) -> Result<()> {
     cmd_exec_inner(
         path,
@@ -584,6 +606,7 @@ fn cmd_check(
         gpu_inline,
         reservations_table,
         parallel,
+        xaudio_tick,
         out,
         expect,
         stable_digest,
@@ -607,6 +630,7 @@ fn cmd_exec_inner(
     gpu_inline: bool,
     reservations_table: bool,
     parallel: bool,
+    xaudio_tick: bool,
     digest_out: Option<&str>,
     digest_expect: Option<&str>,
     stable_digest: bool,
@@ -787,6 +811,18 @@ fn cmd_exec_inner(
         });
     let parallel_active = parallel || parallel_via_env;
     kernel.parallel_active = parallel_active;
+    let xaudio_tick_via_env = std::env::var("XENIA_XAUDIO_TICK")
+        .ok()
+        .is_some_and(|v| {
+            let v = v.trim().to_ascii_lowercase();
+            v == "1" || v == "true" || v == "yes"
+        });
+    kernel.xaudio_tick_enabled = xaudio_tick || xaudio_tick_via_env;
+    if kernel.xaudio_tick_enabled && !quiet {
+        tracing::info!(
+            "XAudio callback ticker enabled (--xaudio-tick / XENIA_XAUDIO_TICK=1)"
+        );
+    }
     if reservations_table || reservations_via_env || parallel_active {
         kernel.reservations.enable();
         if !quiet {
@@ -1546,8 +1582,19 @@ fn coord_pre_round(
             .store(prev | 0x1, Ordering::Relaxed);
     }
 
+    if kernel.xaudio_tick_enabled {
+        if kernel.parallel_active {
+            kernel.xaudio.tick_wallclock();
+        } else {
+            kernel.xaudio.tick_instr(stats.instruction_count);
+        }
+    }
+
     kernel.fire_due_timers();
     try_inject_graphics_interrupt(kernel);
+    if kernel.xaudio_tick_enabled {
+        try_inject_audio_callback(kernel);
+    }
 
     RoundCtl::Continue
 }
@@ -2805,6 +2852,94 @@ fn try_inject_graphics_interrupt(kernel: &mut xenia_kernel::KernelState) {
     );
 }
 
+/// APUBUG-PRODUCER-001 — inject a pending XAudio buffer-complete callback
+/// into the next available HW thread. Mirrors
+/// [`try_inject_graphics_interrupt`] (same victim-selection policy, same
+/// SP-pad, same saved-context restore-on-sentinel) but pulls the callback
+/// PC + r3 argument from a registered [`xenia_kernel::xaudio::XAudioClient`]
+/// instead of the graphics-callback registration.
+///
+/// Mutual exclusion with the graphics path is via the shared
+/// `interrupts.saved` slot — if a graphics callback is already in flight,
+/// `is_in_callback()` returns true and we bail until it returns to the
+/// `LR_HALT_SENTINEL`.
+fn try_inject_audio_callback(kernel: &mut xenia_kernel::KernelState) {
+    use xenia_cpu::scheduler::HwState;
+
+    if kernel.interrupts.is_in_callback() {
+        return;
+    }
+    let Some(index) = kernel.xaudio.peek_next() else {
+        return;
+    };
+    let Some(client) = kernel.xaudio.get(index) else {
+        let _ = kernel.xaudio.take_next();
+        kernel.xaudio.dropped += 1;
+        return;
+    };
+
+    let mut victim: Option<xenia_cpu::ThreadRef> = None;
+    'outer_ready: for (hw_id, slot) in kernel.scheduler.slots.iter().enumerate() {
+        for (idx, t) in slot.runqueue.iter().enumerate() {
+            if matches!(t.state, HwState::Ready) {
+                victim = Some(xenia_cpu::ThreadRef::new(hw_id as u8, idx as u16));
+                break 'outer_ready;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    if victim.is_none() {
+        'outer_blocked: for (hw_id, slot) in kernel.scheduler.slots.iter().enumerate() {
+            for (idx, t) in slot.runqueue.iter().enumerate() {
+                if matches!(t.state, HwState::Blocked(_)) {
+                    victim = Some(xenia_cpu::ThreadRef::new(hw_id as u8, idx as u16));
+                    break 'outer_blocked;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    let Some(target_ref) = victim else {
+        let _ = kernel.xaudio.take_next();
+        kernel.xaudio.dropped += 1;
+        return;
+    };
+
+    let t = kernel.scheduler.thread_mut(target_ref);
+    let prev_state = t.state.clone();
+    match prev_state {
+        HwState::Ready => {}
+        HwState::Blocked(reason) => {
+            t.state = HwState::ServicingIrq(reason);
+        }
+        _ => unreachable!("victim selection above filtered out other variants"),
+    }
+
+    let _ = kernel.xaudio.take_next();
+    let t = kernel.scheduler.thread_mut(target_ref);
+    let saved = xenia_kernel::SavedCallbackCtx::capture(
+        &t.ctx,
+        xenia_kernel::INTERRUPT_SOURCE_AUDIO,
+    );
+    kernel.interrupts.injected_ref = Some(target_ref);
+    t.ctx.pc = client.callback_pc;
+    t.ctx.lr = xenia_cpu::context::LR_HALT_SENTINEL;
+    t.ctx.gpr[1] = t
+        .ctx
+        .gpr[1]
+        .wrapping_sub(xenia_kernel::interrupts::CALLBACK_STACK_PAD as u64);
+    t.ctx.gpr[3] = client.wrapped_callback_arg as u64;
+    kernel.interrupts.saved = Some(saved);
+    kernel.xaudio.delivered += 1;
+    metrics::counter!("xaudio.callback.delivered").increment(1);
+    tracing::debug!(
+        index,
+        hw_id = target_ref.hw_id,
+        idx = target_ref.idx,
+        callback = format_args!("{:#010x}", client.callback_pc),
+        wrapped = format_args!("{:#010x}", client.wrapped_callback_arg),
+        "xaudio callback: injecting"
+    );
+}
+
 fn print_summary(
     ctx: &xenia_cpu::PpcContext,
     debugger: &xenia_debugger::Debugger,
diff --git a/crates/xenia-kernel/src/exports.rs b/crates/xenia-kernel/src/exports.rs
index d410e88..40ee9e5 100644
--- a/crates/xenia-kernel/src/exports.rs
+++ b/crates/xenia-kernel/src/exports.rs
@@ -177,8 +177,8 @@ pub fn register_exports(state: &mut KernelState) {
 
     // Audio
     state.register_export(Xboxkrnl, 0x01F3, "XAudioRegisterRenderDriverClient", xaudio_register_render_driver);
-    state.register_export(Xboxkrnl, 0x01F4, "XAudioUnregisterRenderDriverClient", stub_success);
-    state.register_export(Xboxkrnl, 0x01F5, "XAudioSubmitRenderDriverFrame", stub_success);
+    state.register_export(Xboxkrnl, 0x01F4, "XAudioUnregisterRenderDriverClient", xaudio_unregister_render_driver);
+    state.register_export(Xboxkrnl, 0x01F5, "XAudioSubmitRenderDriverFrame", xaudio_submit_render_driver_frame);
     state.register_export(Xboxkrnl, 0x01F7, "XAudioGetVoiceCategoryVolumeChangeMask", stub_return_zero);
     state.register_export(Xboxkrnl, 0x01F8, "XAudioGetVoiceCategoryVolume", stub_success);
     state.register_export(Xboxkrnl, 0x0224, "XMACreateContext", xma_create_context);
@@ -2621,10 +2621,68 @@ fn vd_swap(ctx: &mut PpcContext, mem: &GuestMemory, state: &mut KernelState) {
 
 // ===== Audio =====
 
-fn xaudio_register_render_driver(ctx: &mut PpcContext, _mem: &GuestMemory, state: &mut KernelState) {
-    let handle = state.alloc_handle();
-    tracing::info!("XAudioRegisterRenderDriverClient: handle={:#x}", handle);
-    // r3 = callback_ptr, r4 = driver_ptr -> write handle
+const X_E_INVALIDARG: u64 = 0x8007_0057;
+const XAUDIO_DRIVER_TAG: u32 = 0x4155_0000;
+const XAUDIO_DRIVER_INDEX_MASK: u32 = 0x0000_FFFF;
+
+fn xaudio_register_render_driver(ctx: &mut PpcContext, mem: &GuestMemory, state: &mut KernelState) {
+    let callback_ptr = ctx.gpr[3] as u32;
+    let driver_ptr = ctx.gpr[4] as u32;
+    if callback_ptr == 0 {
+        ctx.gpr[3] = X_E_INVALIDARG;
+        return;
+    }
+    let callback_pc = mem.read_u32(callback_ptr);
+    if callback_pc == 0 {
+        ctx.gpr[3] = X_E_INVALIDARG;
+        return;
+    }
+    let callback_arg = mem.read_u32(callback_ptr.wrapping_add(4));
+
+    let Some(wrapped) = state.heap_alloc(4, mem) else {
+        tracing::warn!("XAudioRegisterRenderDriverClient: heap_alloc(4) failed");
+        ctx.gpr[3] = X_E_INVALIDARG;
+        return;
+    };
+    mem.write_u32(wrapped, callback_arg);
+
+    let client = crate::xaudio::XAudioClient {
+        callback_pc,
+        callback_arg,
+        wrapped_callback_arg: wrapped,
+    };
+    let Some(index) = state.xaudio.register(client) else {
+        tracing::warn!("XAudioRegisterRenderDriverClient: client table full");
+        ctx.gpr[3] = X_E_INVALIDARG;
+        return;
+    };
+    let driver_id = XAUDIO_DRIVER_TAG | (index as u32 & XAUDIO_DRIVER_INDEX_MASK);
+    if driver_ptr != 0 {
+        mem.write_u32(driver_ptr, driver_id);
+    }
+    tracing::info!(
+        "XAudioRegisterRenderDriverClient: index={} callback={:#010x} arg={:#010x} wrapped={:#010x} driver={:#010x}",
+        index, callback_pc, callback_arg, wrapped, driver_id,
+    );
+    ctx.gpr[3] = 0;
+}
+
+fn xaudio_unregister_render_driver(ctx: &mut PpcContext, _mem: &GuestMemory, state: &mut KernelState) {
+    let driver_id = ctx.gpr[3] as u32;
+    let index = (driver_id & XAUDIO_DRIVER_INDEX_MASK) as usize;
+    state.xaudio.unregister(index);
+    tracing::info!(
+        "XAudioUnregisterRenderDriverClient: driver={:#010x} index={}",
+        driver_id, index,
+    );
+    ctx.gpr[3] = 0;
+}
+
+fn xaudio_submit_render_driver_frame(
+    ctx: &mut PpcContext,
+    _mem: &GuestMemory,
+    _state: &mut KernelState,
+) {
     ctx.gpr[3] = 0;
 }
 
@@ -5181,4 +5239,99 @@ mod tests {
         assert_ne!(h_main, h_krnl, "main module distinct from xboxkrnl");
         assert_ne!(h_krnl, h_xam, "xboxkrnl distinct from xam");
     }
+
+    /// `XAudioRegisterRenderDriverClient` records the (callback, arg) pair,
+    /// allocates a 4-byte heap buffer holding `callback_arg` in big-endian,
+    /// and writes `0x4155_xxxx` to `*driver_ptr`.  Mirrors canary
+    /// [audio_system.cc:202-237](../../../xenia-canary/src/xenia/apu/audio_system.cc#L202-L237).
+    #[test]
+    fn xaudio_register_records_client_and_writes_driver_id() {
+        let (mut ctx, mem, mut state) = fresh();
+        let cb_block = SCRATCH_BASE + 0x100;
+        let driver_out = SCRATCH_BASE + 0x200;
+        mem.write_u32(cb_block, 0x8200_BEEF);
+        mem.write_u32(cb_block + 4, 0xDEAD_F00D);
+        ctx.gpr[3] = cb_block as u64;
+        ctx.gpr[4] = driver_out as u64;
+
+        xaudio_register_render_driver(&mut ctx, &mem, &mut state);
+
+        assert_eq!(ctx.gpr[3], 0, "STATUS_SUCCESS");
+        let driver_id = mem.read_u32(driver_out);
+        assert_eq!(driver_id & 0xFFFF_0000, 0x4155_0000);
+        let index = (driver_id & 0x0000_FFFF) as usize;
+        let client = state.xaudio.get(index).expect("client must be registered");
+        assert_eq!(client.callback_pc, 0x8200_BEEF);
+        assert_eq!(client.callback_arg, 0xDEAD_F00D);
+        assert_ne!(client.wrapped_callback_arg, 0);
+        assert_eq!(
+            mem.read_u32(client.wrapped_callback_arg),
+            0xDEAD_F00D,
+            "wrapped buffer must hold callback_arg big-endian"
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// Null `callback_ptr` or null callback function returns `X_E_INVALIDARG`
+    /// without registering — canary
+    /// [xboxkrnl_audio.cc:58-66](../../../xenia-canary/src/xenia/kernel/xboxkrnl/xboxkrnl_audio.cc#L58-L66).
+    #[test]
+    fn xaudio_register_rejects_null_inputs() {
+        let (mut ctx, mem, mut state) = fresh();
+        ctx.gpr[3] = 0;
+        ctx.gpr[4] = (SCRATCH_BASE + 0x300) as u64;
+        xaudio_register_render_driver(&mut ctx, &mem, &mut state);
+        assert_eq!(ctx.gpr[3], X_E_INVALIDARG);
+        assert!(!state.xaudio.any_registered());
+
+        let cb_block = SCRATCH_BASE + 0x400;
+        mem.write_u32(cb_block, 0); // callback function = null
+        mem.write_u32(cb_block + 4, 0xCAFE);
+        ctx.gpr[3] = cb_block as u64;
+        ctx.gpr[4] = (SCRATCH_BASE + 0x500) as u64;
+        xaudio_register_render_driver(&mut ctx, &mem, &mut state);
+        assert_eq!(ctx.gpr[3], X_E_INVALIDARG);
+        assert!(!state.xaudio.any_registered());
+    }
+
+    /// Unregister clears the slot identified by the lower 16 bits of the
+    /// driver token.
+    #[test]
+    fn xaudio_unregister_clears_slot() {
+        let (mut ctx, mem, mut state) = fresh();
+        let cb_block = SCRATCH_BASE + 0x100;
+        let driver_out = SCRATCH_BASE + 0x200;
+        mem.write_u32(cb_block, 0x8200_AAAA);
+        mem.write_u32(cb_block + 4, 0xBBBB_BBBB);
+        ctx.gpr[3] = cb_block as u64;
+        ctx.gpr[4] = driver_out as u64;
+        xaudio_register_render_driver(&mut ctx, &mem, &mut state);
+        let driver_id = mem.read_u32(driver_out);
+        let index = (driver_id & 0x0000_FFFF) as usize;
+        assert!(state.xaudio.get(index).is_some());
+
+        ctx.gpr[3] = driver_id as u64;
+        xaudio_unregister_render_driver(&mut ctx, &mem, &mut state);
+        assert_eq!(ctx.gpr[3], 0);
+        assert!(state.xaudio.get(index).is_none());
+    }
+
+    /// Once a client is registered, the lockstep ticker eventually queues
+    /// a fire — proves the producer pipeline is wired end-to-end through
+    /// the kernel state.
+    #[test]
+    fn xaudio_register_then_tick_instr_queues_callback() {
+        let (mut ctx, mem, mut state) = fresh();
+        let cb_block = SCRATCH_BASE + 0x100;
+        let driver_out = SCRATCH_BASE + 0x200;
+        mem.write_u32(cb_block, 0x8200_C0DE);
+        mem.write_u32(cb_block + 4, 0xFEED_FACE);
+        ctx.gpr[3] = cb_block as u64;
+        ctx.gpr[4] = driver_out as u64;
+        xaudio_register_render_driver(&mut ctx, &mem, &mut state);
+
+        assert!(state.xaudio.tick_instr(crate::xaudio::XAUDIO_INSTR_PERIOD));
+        let i = state.xaudio.peek_next().expect("must queue a fire");
+        let client = state.xaudio.get(i).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(client.callback_pc, 0x8200_C0DE);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/crates/xenia-kernel/src/lib.rs b/crates/xenia-kernel/src/lib.rs
index 9cdceb9..13a15d0 100644
--- a/crates/xenia-kernel/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/xenia-kernel/src/lib.rs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ pub mod state;
 pub mod thread;
 pub mod ui_bridge;
 pub mod xam;
+pub mod xaudio;
 
 pub use interrupts::{
     GraphicsInterruptCallback, InterruptState, SavedCallbackCtx, INTERRUPT_SOURCE_CP,
@@ -15,3 +16,7 @@ pub use interrupts::{
 pub use state::{KernelState, ModuleId};
 pub use thread::{allocate_thread_image, ThreadImage};
 pub use ui_bridge::{SwapInfo, UiBridge};
+pub use xaudio::{
+    XAudioClient, XAudioState, INTERRUPT_SOURCE_AUDIO, XAUDIO_INSTR_PERIOD, XAUDIO_MAX_CLIENTS,
+    XAUDIO_PERIOD,
+};
diff --git a/crates/xenia-kernel/src/state.rs b/crates/xenia-kernel/src/state.rs
index 25380fb..8dc6d55 100644
--- a/crates/xenia-kernel/src/state.rs
+++ b/crates/xenia-kernel/src/state.rs
@@ -104,6 +104,23 @@ pub struct KernelState {
     /// the callback set by `VdSetGraphicsInterruptCallback` and tracks
     /// the paused-context snapshot while HW thread 0 is running it.
     pub interrupts: crate::interrupts::InterruptState,
+    /// XAudio render-driver clients + buffer-complete callback ticker.
+    /// Mirrors canary's [`xenia/apu/audio_system.cc`] worker — registered
+    /// guest callbacks can fire at the audio frame rate so guest threads
+    /// parked on audio-buffer events get woken (APUBUG-PRODUCER-001).
+    /// Shares the [`crate::interrupts::InterruptState::saved`] /
+    /// `injected_ref` slot at injection time; mutual exclusion with
+    /// graphics interrupts is enforced by the injector's
+    /// `is_in_callback()` guard.
+    pub xaudio: crate::xaudio::XAudioState,
+    /// Default false. When true, the round prologue runs the XAudio
+    /// ticker + `try_inject_audio_callback`. Off by default because the
+    /// callback firing shifts the boot trajectory under Sylpheed
+    /// (regresses `swaps=2`→`1` and 12×s `imports`), which would break
+    /// the `sylpheed_n*m.json` lockstep goldens. Flipped on by
+    /// `--xaudio-tick` / `XENIA_XAUDIO_TICK=1` for the diagnostic
+    /// producer-hunt path.
+    pub xaudio_tick_enabled: bool,
     /// Per-handle refcount. Since `NtDuplicateObject` aliases (returns the
     /// source handle value as the "new" handle rather than minting a fresh
     /// id), a single handle commonly has multiple logical references. This
@@ -202,6 +219,8 @@ impl KernelState {
             vfs: None,
             ui: None,
             interrupts: crate::interrupts::InterruptState::default(),
+            xaudio: crate::xaudio::XAudioState::default(),
+            xaudio_tick_enabled: false,
             handle_refcount: HashMap::new(),
             pending_timer_fires: Vec::new(),
             audit: HandleAudit::default(),
diff --git a/crates/xenia-kernel/src/xaudio.rs b/crates/xenia-kernel/src/xaudio.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c40122
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/xenia-kernel/src/xaudio.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,292 @@
+//! XAudio render-driver-client registration + buffer-complete callback loop
+//! (canary parity: `xenia/apu/audio_system.cc`).
+//!
+//! Replaces the host-thread + per-client-semaphore + XAudio2 driver layer with
+//! a periodic ticker that enqueues a "buffer complete" fire for each
+//! registered client at the audio frame rate (256 samples / 48 kHz ≈ 5.33 ms).
+//! The injection path in `xenia-app` reuses the same [`crate::SavedCallbackCtx`]
+//! plumbing the graphics-interrupt path uses — only one callback runs at a
+//! time across either subsystem, gated by `interrupts.is_in_callback()`.
+//!
+//! Lockstep mode uses an instruction-count proxy
+//! ([`XAUDIO_INSTR_PERIOD`]) so `--stable-digest` stays bit-exact;
+//! `--parallel` uses wall-clock ([`XAUDIO_PERIOD`]) — same dual-mode pattern
+//! as KRNBUG-D08 v-sync.
+
+use std::collections::VecDeque;
+use std::time::{Duration, Instant};
+
+/// Mirrors [audio_system.h:30](../../../../xenia-canary/src/xenia/apu/audio_system.h#L30)
+/// `kMaximumClientCount = 8`.
+pub const XAUDIO_MAX_CLIENTS: usize = 8;
+
+/// Source code stamped into [`crate::SavedCallbackCtx::source`] when an
+/// audio callback is injected. Distinct from graphics-interrupt sources
+/// (`INTERRUPT_SOURCE_VSYNC = 0`, `INTERRUPT_SOURCE_CP = 1`) so logs and
+/// the audit trail can disambiguate.
+pub const INTERRUPT_SOURCE_AUDIO: u32 = 0x100;
+
+/// Lockstep instruction-count period. Picked so the ratio against
+/// [`crate::interrupts::VSYNC_INSTR_PERIOD`] (`150_000`) ≈ 16.67 ms / 5.33 ms,
+/// matching canary's 256 samples / 48 kHz audio cadence.
+pub const XAUDIO_INSTR_PERIOD: u64 = 48_000;
+
+/// Wall-clock period under `--parallel`. 256 / 48000 s = 5.333… ms.
+pub const XAUDIO_PERIOD: Duration = Duration::from_nanos(5_333_333);
+
+/// Bound on the pending-fires FIFO. Stops a long-running export from
+/// queueing unbounded callbacks while injection is starved.
+pub const XAUDIO_QUEUE_CAP: usize = 16;
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy)]
+pub struct XAudioClient {
+    pub callback_pc: u32,
+    pub callback_arg: u32,
+    /// Guest pointer to the heap-allocated 4-byte buffer holding
+    /// `callback_arg` big-endian — passed as r3 to the guest callback,
+    /// matching canary's
+    /// [audio_system.cc:225-228](../../../../xenia-canary/src/xenia/apu/audio_system.cc#L225-L228)
+    /// + [audio_system.cc:139-141](../../../../xenia-canary/src/xenia/apu/audio_system.cc#L139-L141).
+    pub wrapped_callback_arg: u32,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct XAudioState {
+    pub clients: [Option<XAudioClient>; XAUDIO_MAX_CLIENTS],
+    pub pending: VecDeque<usize>,
+    pub delivered: u64,
+    pub dropped: u64,
+    pub accumulator: u64,
+    pub last_instr_count: u64,
+    pub last_instant: Option<Instant>,
+}
+
+impl Default for XAudioState {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            clients: [None; XAUDIO_MAX_CLIENTS],
+            pending: VecDeque::new(),
+            delivered: 0,
+            dropped: 0,
+            accumulator: 0,
+            last_instr_count: 0,
+            last_instant: None,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl XAudioState {
+    pub fn register(&mut self, client: XAudioClient) -> Option<usize> {
+        for (i, slot) in self.clients.iter_mut().enumerate() {
+            if slot.is_none() {
+                *slot = Some(client);
+                return Some(i);
+            }
+        }
+        None
+    }
+
+    pub fn unregister(&mut self, index: usize) {
+        if index < XAUDIO_MAX_CLIENTS {
+            self.clients[index] = None;
+            self.pending.retain(|&i| i != index);
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn get(&self, index: usize) -> Option<XAudioClient> {
+        self.clients.get(index).copied().flatten()
+    }
+
+    pub fn any_registered(&self) -> bool {
+        self.clients.iter().any(|c| c.is_some())
+    }
+
+    fn enqueue_all_active(&mut self) {
+        for i in 0..XAUDIO_MAX_CLIENTS {
+            if self.clients[i].is_none() {
+                continue;
+            }
+            if self.pending.len() >= XAUDIO_QUEUE_CAP {
+                self.dropped += 1;
+                return;
+            }
+            self.pending.push_back(i);
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn peek_next(&self) -> Option<usize> {
+        self.pending.front().copied()
+    }
+
+    pub fn take_next(&mut self) -> Option<usize> {
+        self.pending.pop_front()
+    }
+
+    /// Lockstep instruction-count ticker. Idempotently advances the
+    /// accumulator from `last_instr_count` to `current_instr_count` and
+    /// enqueues one fire-set per full [`XAUDIO_INSTR_PERIOD`] crossed.
+    /// Returns `true` iff at least one fire was queued.
+    pub fn tick_instr(&mut self, current_instr_count: u64) -> bool {
+        if !self.any_registered() {
+            self.last_instr_count = current_instr_count;
+            self.accumulator = 0;
+            return false;
+        }
+        let delta = current_instr_count.saturating_sub(self.last_instr_count);
+        self.last_instr_count = current_instr_count;
+        self.accumulator = self.accumulator.saturating_add(delta);
+        if self.accumulator < XAUDIO_INSTR_PERIOD {
+            return false;
+        }
+        let periods = self.accumulator / XAUDIO_INSTR_PERIOD;
+        self.accumulator %= XAUDIO_INSTR_PERIOD;
+        let to_fire = (periods as usize).min(XAUDIO_QUEUE_CAP);
+        for _ in 0..to_fire {
+            self.enqueue_all_active();
+        }
+        true
+    }
+
+    /// Wall-clock ticker for `--parallel`. First call seeds the anchor
+    /// (no fire). Subsequent calls fire `floor(elapsed / XAUDIO_PERIOD)`
+    /// fire-sets and advance the anchor by that many full periods.
+    pub fn tick_wallclock(&mut self) -> bool {
+        if !self.any_registered() {
+            self.last_instant = None;
+            return false;
+        }
+        let now = Instant::now();
+        let anchor = match self.last_instant {
+            Some(t) => t,
+            None => {
+                self.last_instant = Some(now);
+                return false;
+            }
+        };
+        let elapsed = now.saturating_duration_since(anchor);
+        let period_ns = XAUDIO_PERIOD.as_nanos() as u64;
+        let elapsed_ns = elapsed.as_nanos() as u64;
+        let periods = elapsed_ns / period_ns;
+        if periods == 0 {
+            return false;
+        }
+        let advance = Duration::from_nanos(periods * period_ns);
+        self.last_instant = Some(anchor + advance);
+        let to_fire = (periods as usize).min(XAUDIO_QUEUE_CAP);
+        for _ in 0..to_fire {
+            self.enqueue_all_active();
+        }
+        true
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    fn dummy_client(arg: u32) -> XAudioClient {
+        XAudioClient {
+            callback_pc: 0x8200_0000 + arg,
+            callback_arg: arg,
+            wrapped_callback_arg: 0x4000_0000 + arg,
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn register_assigns_first_free_slot() {
+        let mut s = XAudioState::default();
+        let i0 = s.register(dummy_client(1)).unwrap();
+        let i1 = s.register(dummy_client(2)).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(i0, 0);
+        assert_eq!(i1, 1);
+        assert_eq!(s.get(0).unwrap().callback_arg, 1);
+        assert_eq!(s.get(1).unwrap().callback_arg, 2);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn unregister_clears_slot_and_pending() {
+        let mut s = XAudioState::default();
+        let i = s.register(dummy_client(1)).unwrap();
+        s.pending.push_back(i);
+        s.unregister(i);
+        assert!(s.get(i).is_none());
+        assert!(s.pending.is_empty());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn register_returns_none_when_full() {
+        let mut s = XAudioState::default();
+        for k in 0..XAUDIO_MAX_CLIENTS {
+            assert!(s.register(dummy_client(k as u32)).is_some());
+        }
+        assert!(s.register(dummy_client(99)).is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn tick_instr_no_clients_does_not_fire() {
+        let mut s = XAudioState::default();
+        assert!(!s.tick_instr(XAUDIO_INSTR_PERIOD * 10));
+        assert!(s.pending.is_empty());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn tick_instr_fires_at_period() {
+        let mut s = XAudioState::default();
+        let i = s.register(dummy_client(7)).unwrap();
+        assert!(!s.tick_instr(XAUDIO_INSTR_PERIOD - 1));
+        assert!(s.pending.is_empty());
+        assert!(s.tick_instr(XAUDIO_INSTR_PERIOD));
+        assert_eq!(s.peek_next(), Some(i));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn tick_instr_drains_multiple_periods_in_one_call() {
+        let mut s = XAudioState::default();
+        let i = s.register(dummy_client(7)).unwrap();
+        assert!(s.tick_instr(XAUDIO_INSTR_PERIOD * 4));
+        assert_eq!(s.pending.len(), 4);
+        for _ in 0..4 {
+            assert_eq!(s.take_next(), Some(i));
+        }
+        assert!(s.pending.is_empty());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn tick_instr_fires_for_each_registered_client() {
+        let mut s = XAudioState::default();
+        let a = s.register(dummy_client(1)).unwrap();
+        let b = s.register(dummy_client(2)).unwrap();
+        assert!(s.tick_instr(XAUDIO_INSTR_PERIOD));
+        assert_eq!(s.pending.len(), 2);
+        assert_eq!(s.take_next(), Some(a));
+        assert_eq!(s.take_next(), Some(b));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn tick_instr_caps_queue_growth() {
+        let mut s = XAudioState::default();
+        s.register(dummy_client(1)).unwrap();
+        s.tick_instr(XAUDIO_INSTR_PERIOD * (XAUDIO_QUEUE_CAP as u64 + 50));
+        assert!(s.pending.len() <= XAUDIO_QUEUE_CAP);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn tick_wallclock_first_call_seeds_anchor() {
+        let mut s = XAudioState::default();
+        s.register(dummy_client(1)).unwrap();
+        assert!(!s.tick_wallclock());
+        assert!(s.pending.is_empty());
+        assert!(s.last_instant.is_some());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn tick_wallclock_fires_after_period() {
+        let mut s = XAudioState::default();
+        let i = s.register(dummy_client(1)).unwrap();
+        s.tick_wallclock();
+        std::thread::sleep(XAUDIO_PERIOD + Duration::from_millis(2));
+        assert!(s.tick_wallclock());
+        assert!(!s.pending.is_empty());
+        assert_eq!(s.peek_next(), Some(i));
+    }
+}