diff --git a/src/core/jsonrpc.rs b/src/core/jsonrpc.rs
index 8af8a33ff..5b47190bd 100644
--- a/src/core/jsonrpc.rs
+++ b/src/core/jsonrpc.rs
@@ -1056,35 +1056,50 @@ pub(super) fn with_cors_headers(mut response: Response, origin: Option<&str>) ->
 }
 
 /// Handler for the health check endpoint.
+///
+/// Liveness is granular (#3312): a single degraded *background* component
+/// (scheduler, channels, update_checker, …) no longer 503s the whole container.
+/// `/health` returns 503 only when a *critical* component is unhealthy (see
+/// `health::CRITICAL_COMPONENTS`); otherwise it returns 200 — with a `degraded`
+/// flag and per-component buckets in the body so readiness probes and operators
+/// can still see partial failures.
 async fn health_handler() -> impl IntoResponse {
     let snapshot = crate::openhuman::health::snapshot();
-    let unhealthy: Vec<&str> = snapshot
-        .components
-        .iter()
-        .filter_map(|(name, c)| {
-            if c.status == "ok" || c.status == "starting" {
-                None
-            } else {
-                Some(name.as_str())
-            }
-        })
-        .collect();
-    let is_ok = unhealthy.is_empty();
+    let verdict = crate::openhuman::health::verdict(&snapshot);
 
-    let status = if is_ok {
+    let status = if verdict.healthy {
         StatusCode::OK
     } else {
         StatusCode::SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE
     };
 
+    // Augment the snapshot body with the verdict so the components map stays
+    // backward-compatible while exposing overall liveness/readiness.
+    let mut body = serde_json::to_value(&snapshot).unwrap_or_else(|_| serde_json::json!({}));
+    if let Some(obj) = body.as_object_mut() {
+        obj.insert("healthy".to_string(), serde_json::json!(verdict.healthy));
+        obj.insert("degraded".to_string(), serde_json::json!(verdict.degraded));
+        obj.insert(
+            "critical_unhealthy".to_string(),
+            serde_json::json!(verdict.critical_unhealthy),
+        );
+        obj.insert(
+            "degraded_components".to_string(),
+            serde_json::json!(verdict.degraded_components),
+        );
+    }
+
     tracing::debug!(
-        "[health] status={} components={} unhealthy={:?}",
+        "[health] status={} components={} healthy={} degraded={} critical_unhealthy={:?} degraded_components={:?}",
         status.as_u16(),
         snapshot.components.len(),
-        unhealthy
+        verdict.healthy,
+        verdict.degraded,
+        verdict.critical_unhealthy,
+        verdict.degraded_components,
     );
 
-    (status, Json(snapshot))
+    (status, Json(body))
 }
 
 /// Handler for the schema discovery endpoint.
diff --git a/src/core/jsonrpc_tests.rs b/src/core/jsonrpc_tests.rs
index be17c546e..993e7889f 100644
--- a/src/core/jsonrpc_tests.rs
+++ b/src/core/jsonrpc_tests.rs
@@ -1195,20 +1195,43 @@ async fn test_http_health_handler_returns_correct_status() {
         .as_object()
         .expect("components should be an object");
 
-    // Derive the expected HTTP status solely from the response body so the
-    // test asserts internal consistency of the handler rather than racing on
-    // live component state.
-    let body_says_ok = components.values().all(|c| {
-        let s = c["status"].as_str().unwrap_or("");
-        s == "ok" || s == "starting"
-    });
-    let expected_status = if body_says_ok {
+    // Granular liveness (#3312): the HTTP status is driven by the `healthy`
+    // verdict (no *critical* component unhealthy), not by all-components-ok.
+    // Derive the expectation from the body so the test asserts the handler's
+    // internal consistency rather than racing on live component state.
+    let body_healthy = snapshot["healthy"]
+        .as_bool()
+        .expect("body exposes a `healthy` verdict flag");
+    let expected_status = if body_healthy {
         StatusCode::OK
     } else {
         StatusCode::SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE
     };
-
     assert_eq!(status, expected_status);
+
+    // `healthy` must mean "no critical component is unhealthy", and any
+    // unhealthy component must be bucketed as either critical or degraded.
+    let critical_unhealthy = snapshot["critical_unhealthy"]
+        .as_array()
+        .expect("body exposes critical_unhealthy");
+    assert_eq!(body_healthy, critical_unhealthy.is_empty());
+
+    let unhealthy_count = components
+        .values()
+        .filter(|c| {
+            let s = c["status"].as_str().unwrap_or("");
+            s != "ok" && s != "starting"
+        })
+        .count();
+    let degraded_count = snapshot["degraded_components"]
+        .as_array()
+        .expect("body exposes degraded_components")
+        .len();
+    assert_eq!(
+        unhealthy_count,
+        critical_unhealthy.len() + degraded_count,
+        "every unhealthy component is bucketed as critical or degraded"
+    );
 }
 
 #[tokio::test]
diff --git a/src/openhuman/health/README.md b/src/openhuman/health/README.md
index fe7f1471b..08ef3f921 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/health/README.md
+++ b/src/openhuman/health/README.md
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ In-process health registry for the OpenHuman core. Tracks per-component liveness
 - Maintain a process-global registry of named components, each with `status`, `updated_at`, `last_ok`, `last_error`, `restart_count`.
 - Provide mutators: `mark_component_ok`, `mark_component_error`, `bump_component_restart`.
 - Produce a point-in-time `HealthSnapshot` (PID, uptime seconds, components map) and its JSON form.
+- Classify a snapshot into a `HealthVerdict` (`verdict()`): a single degraded *non-critical* component no longer makes the container unhealthy — `/health` returns 503 only when a *critical* component (`CRITICAL_COMPONENTS` = `core`, `memory_tree_db`) is unhealthy; non-critical components (scheduler, channels, update_checker, …) return 200 + a `degraded` flag (#3312).
 - Drive component state automatically from `DomainEvent`s via an event-bus subscriber.
 - Expose `health.snapshot` and `health.system_info` RPC/CLI controllers.
 
@@ -23,8 +24,10 @@ In-process health registry for the OpenHuman core. Tracks per-component liveness
 ## Public surface
 
 From `core.rs` (re-exported via `pub use core::*`):
-- Types: `ComponentHealth`, `HealthSnapshot`.
-- Functions: `mark_component_ok(component)`, `mark_component_error(component, error)`, `bump_component_restart(component)`, `snapshot() -> HealthSnapshot`, `snapshot_json() -> serde_json::Value`.
+- Types: `ComponentHealth`, `HealthSnapshot`, `HealthVerdict`.
+- Functions: `mark_component_ok(component)`, `mark_component_error(component, error)`, `bump_component_restart(component)`, `snapshot() -> HealthSnapshot`, `snapshot_json() -> serde_json::Value`, `verdict(&HealthSnapshot) -> HealthVerdict`, `is_critical_component(name) -> bool`.
+
+The HTTP `GET /health` handler (`core::jsonrpc::health_handler`) uses `verdict()` for its status code (200 unless a critical component is unhealthy) and adds `healthy` / `degraded` / `critical_unhealthy` / `degraded_components` fields alongside the `components` map in the body. The `components` map shape is unchanged — the new fields are additive.
 
 From `ops.rs` (re-exported via `pub use ops::*`, also aliased `pub use ops as rpc`):
 - `health_snapshot() -> RpcOutcome<serde_json::Value>`, `system_info() -> RpcOutcome<SystemInfo>`, and the `SystemInfo` struct.
diff --git a/src/openhuman/health/core.rs b/src/openhuman/health/core.rs
index 7811e883c..d6a920603 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/health/core.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/health/core.rs
@@ -109,6 +109,77 @@ pub fn snapshot_json() -> serde_json::Value {
     })
 }
 
+/// Components whose sustained failure means the whole container should be
+/// recycled — and the **only** ones whose unhealth makes `/health` return 503.
+///
+/// Everything else is a degradable background service whose failure must NOT
+/// flip the container `unhealthy` (#3312): a single cron-job timeout marked the
+/// `scheduler` component `error` and 503'd the container for 7h43m even though
+/// the core RPC was serving fine the whole time. `scheduler`, `channels`, and
+/// `update_checker` are therefore intentionally **non-critical**.
+///
+/// - `core` — the core process / RPC serving capability itself.
+/// - `memory_tree_db` — the memory database. Its health signal is a *debounced*
+///   circuit breaker that only trips after several consecutive schema-init
+///   failures (a genuine, restart-worthy data-layer fault), so unlike the
+///   scheduler case it does not false-trip on a transient blip.
+///
+/// New components default to **non-critical**: add a name here deliberately when
+/// its failure should recycle the container.
+const CRITICAL_COMPONENTS: &[&str] = &["core", "memory_tree_db"];
+
+/// Whether `name` is a critical component (see [`CRITICAL_COMPONENTS`]).
+pub fn is_critical_component(name: &str) -> bool {
+    CRITICAL_COMPONENTS.contains(&name)
+}
+
+/// A component status counts as healthy for liveness purposes when it is `ok`
+/// or still `starting` (boot grace — a component that hasn't reported yet must
+/// not 503 the container).
+fn is_healthy_status(status: &str) -> bool {
+    status == "ok" || status == "starting"
+}
+
+/// Liveness/readiness verdict derived from a [`HealthSnapshot`]. Pure function
+/// of the snapshot so it is unit-testable without the global registry.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub struct HealthVerdict {
+    /// True when no *critical* component is unhealthy → `/health` returns 200.
+    pub healthy: bool,
+    /// True when at least one *non-critical* component is unhealthy. The
+    /// container stays live (200) but is degraded — surfaced for readiness /
+    /// observability, not for the liveness 503.
+    pub degraded: bool,
+    /// Names of unhealthy critical components — these drive the 503.
+    pub critical_unhealthy: Vec<String>,
+    /// Names of unhealthy non-critical components (informational).
+    pub degraded_components: Vec<String>,
+}
+
+/// Classify a snapshot into a [`HealthVerdict`]: a single degraded background
+/// component no longer makes the whole container unhealthy — only an unhealthy
+/// *critical* component does (#3312).
+pub fn verdict(snapshot: &HealthSnapshot) -> HealthVerdict {
+    let mut critical_unhealthy = Vec::new();
+    let mut degraded_components = Vec::new();
+    for (name, component) in &snapshot.components {
+        if is_healthy_status(&component.status) {
+            continue;
+        }
+        if is_critical_component(name) {
+            critical_unhealthy.push(name.clone());
+        } else {
+            degraded_components.push(name.clone());
+        }
+    }
+    HealthVerdict {
+        healthy: critical_unhealthy.is_empty(),
+        degraded: !degraded_components.is_empty(),
+        critical_unhealthy,
+        degraded_components,
+    }
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
@@ -188,4 +259,91 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(component_json["last_ok"].as_str().is_some());
         assert!(json["uptime_seconds"].as_u64().is_some());
     }
+
+    // ── Critical-component verdict (#3312) ────────────────────────────────
+
+    fn component(status: &str) -> ComponentHealth {
+        ComponentHealth {
+            status: status.to_string(),
+            updated_at: "2026-06-10T00:00:00Z".to_string(),
+            last_ok: None,
+            last_error: None,
+            restart_count: 0,
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Build a synthetic snapshot from `(name, status)` pairs — lets the
+    /// verdict be tested without mutating the process-global registry.
+    fn snapshot_of(components: &[(&str, &str)]) -> HealthSnapshot {
+        HealthSnapshot {
+            pid: 1,
+            updated_at: "2026-06-10T00:00:00Z".to_string(),
+            uptime_seconds: 0,
+            components: components
+                .iter()
+                .map(|(n, s)| ((*n).to_string(), component(s)))
+                .collect(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn critical_set_membership() {
+        assert!(is_critical_component("core"));
+        assert!(is_critical_component("memory_tree_db"));
+        assert!(!is_critical_component("scheduler"));
+        assert!(!is_critical_component("channels"));
+        assert!(!is_critical_component("update_checker"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn all_ok_is_healthy_and_not_degraded() {
+        let v = verdict(&snapshot_of(&[("core", "ok"), ("scheduler", "ok")]));
+        assert!(v.healthy);
+        assert!(!v.degraded);
+        assert!(v.critical_unhealthy.is_empty());
+        assert!(v.degraded_components.is_empty());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn noncritical_failure_stays_healthy_but_degraded() {
+        // The exact #3312 case: scheduler in error must NOT 503 the container.
+        let v = verdict(&snapshot_of(&[("core", "ok"), ("scheduler", "error")]));
+        assert!(v.healthy, "a degraded background service must not 503");
+        assert!(v.degraded);
+        assert_eq!(v.degraded_components, vec!["scheduler".to_string()]);
+        assert!(v.critical_unhealthy.is_empty());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn critical_failure_is_unhealthy() {
+        let v = verdict(&snapshot_of(&[("memory_tree_db", "error")]));
+        assert!(
+            !v.healthy,
+            "a critical component failure 503s the container"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(v.critical_unhealthy, vec!["memory_tree_db".to_string()]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn mixed_failures_report_both_buckets_and_503() {
+        let v = verdict(&snapshot_of(&[
+            ("core", "error"),
+            ("scheduler", "error"),
+            ("channels", "ok"),
+        ]));
+        assert!(!v.healthy);
+        assert_eq!(v.critical_unhealthy, vec!["core".to_string()]);
+        assert_eq!(v.degraded_components, vec!["scheduler".to_string()]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn starting_status_is_treated_as_healthy() {
+        // Boot grace: a not-yet-reported component must not 503 nor degrade.
+        let v = verdict(&snapshot_of(&[
+            ("core", "starting"),
+            ("scheduler", "starting"),
+        ]));
+        assert!(v.healthy);
+        assert!(!v.degraded);
+    }
 }