diff --git a/docs/architecture.md b/docs/architecture.md
index 12f75987..b9ef58df 100644
--- a/docs/architecture.md
+++ b/docs/architecture.md
@@ -74,7 +74,8 @@ Every guest thread is a host thread. TotK assumes Horizon's scheduler: three app
 - Spin waits. Loops that only another thread can end (857 in 1.4.3, 864 in 1.2.1, found by `tools/spin_waits.py`, the
   nxnative search) send their back-edges through `rt_spin_gate`, which pauses the core once per pass and hands it to a
   waiter after 50 us of polling (`TOTK_SPIN`, `TOTK_SPIN_HANDOFF_US`).
-- `TOTK_FREE_CORES=1` turns the gate off, for experiments.
+- `TOTK_FREE_CORES=1` in the environment turns the gate off, for experiments; totk.ini cannot. Without it the game
+  fails at start: its job workers all report core 0 and share per-core memory.
 
 ### 4. Graphics
 
diff --git a/runtime/cfg.c b/runtime/cfg.c
index d9c4cd61..e6c1ccbb 100644
--- a/runtime/cfg.c
+++ b/runtime/cfg.c
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ static const struct { const char *key, *section; } sections[] = {
     {"BIND_RIGHT", "input"}, {"BIND_DOWN", "input"}, {"BIND_LSTICK_LEFT", "input"}, {"BIND_LSTICK_UP", "input"},
     {"BIND_LSTICK_RIGHT", "input"}, {"BIND_LSTICK_DOWN", "input"}, {"BIND_RSTICK_LEFT", "input"},
     {"BIND_RSTICK_UP", "input"}, {"BIND_RSTICK_RIGHT", "input"}, {"BIND_RSTICK_DOWN", "input"},
-    {"ASYNC_PREEMPT", "performance"}, {"REPLAY_ASYNC", "performance"}, {"FREE_CORES", "performance"},
+    {"ASYNC_PREEMPT", "performance"}, {"REPLAY_ASYNC", "performance"},
     {"TIMER_1MS", "performance"}, {"PIPE_WAIT", "performance"}, {"PIPE_SKIP", "performance"},
     {"LIB_PREBUILD", "performance"}, {"LIB_PREBUILD_THREADS", "performance"}, {"PIPE_PREBUILD", "performance"},
     {"PREWARM_XLATE", "performance"}, {"GPL", "performance"}, {"ASTC", "performance"}, {"MEMORY", "performance"},
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ static const CfgMeta metas[] = {
     {"MENU_LANG", "", "en|ru", LIVE},
     // Advanced: scheduling
     {"ASYNC_PREEMPT", "1", "0|1|2", RESTART}, {"REPLAY_ASYNC", "0", "0|1", RESTART},
-    {"FREE_CORES", "0", "0|1", RESTART}, {"TIMER_1MS", "1", "0|1", RESTART},
+    {"TIMER_1MS", "1", "0|1", RESTART},
     // shaders and pipelines
     {"PIPE_WAIT", "default", "default|draw", RESTART}, {"PIPE_SKIP", "fullscreen", "strict|any|fullscreen", RESTART},
     {"LIB_PREBUILD", "1", "0|1", RESTART}, {"LIB_PREBUILD_THREADS", "", "1..64", RESTART},
diff --git a/runtime/cfg_probe.c b/runtime/cfg_probe.c
index ca7449b2..e7c4f8e9 100644
--- a/runtime/cfg_probe.c
+++ b/runtime/cfg_probe.c
@@ -354,7 +354,6 @@ int probe_cfg(void) {
     cfg_load("cfg-probe-missing.ini");
     plat_setenv("TOTK_FPS60", NULL);
     plat_setenv("TOTK_MOUSE_SENS", NULL);
-    plat_setenv("TOTK_FREE_CORES", NULL);
     CHECK(cfg_bool("TOTK_FPS60") == 1, "default: unset FPS60 is on");
     CHECK(EQ(cfg_value("TOTK_VK_PRESENT"), "mailbox") && cfg_int("TOTK_SPLIT_DRAWS") == 64, "default: text and integer");
     plat_setenv("TOTK_MOUSE_SENS", "2.5");
@@ -364,12 +363,7 @@ int probe_cfg(void) {
     plat_setenv("TOTK_MOUSE_SENS", NULL);
     cfg_set("TOTK_MOUSE_SENS", "3");
     CHECK(cfg_double("TOTK_MOUSE_SENS") == 3.0 && cfg_int("TOTK_MOUSE_SENS") == 3, "a cfg_set value beats the default");
-    CHECK(cfg_bool("TOTK_FREE_CORES") == 0, "free_cores unset: off");
-    plat_setenv("TOTK_FREE_CORES", "0");
-    CHECK(cfg_bool("TOTK_FREE_CORES") == 0, "free_cores 0 gives the same as unset");
-    plat_setenv("TOTK_FREE_CORES", "1");
-    CHECK(cfg_bool("TOTK_FREE_CORES") == 1, "free_cores 1: on");
-    plat_setenv("TOTK_FREE_CORES", NULL);
+    CHECK(cfg_meta("FREE_CORES") == NULL, "free_cores is no setting: only the environment lifts the core gate");
     cfg_load("cfg-probe-missing.ini");
     int listed = 0;
     for (int i = 0; cfg_meta_at(i); i++) {
diff --git a/runtime/kernel.c b/runtime/kernel.c
index cd75797b..6efebb52 100644
--- a/runtime/kernel.c
+++ b/runtime/kernel.c
@@ -296,7 +296,14 @@ static uint32_t block_inner(RtThread *t, int kind, int64_t ns) {
 // and gives it up only where Horizon would switch threads (waits, sleep, yield, exit, blocking host calls); a free
 // core goes to the best waiting thread. A waiter better than a holder asks one holder to give its core up (core_kick),
 // which it does at its next SVC or indirect call (kern_checkpoint, rt_dispatch), as Horizon runs the better thread at
-// once; guest code without either keeps the core until it reaches one. TOTK_FREE_CORES=1 turns the gate off.
+// once; guest code without either keeps the core until it reaches one.
+//
+// TOTK_FREE_CORES=1 in the environment turns the gate off, for experiments; totk.ini cannot. Without the gate a thread
+// that holds no core reports its ideal core to GetCurrentProcessorNumber, so the game's job workers all report core 0
+// and run its per-core code at once: two of them add the same per-core NVN control memory, which retires the command
+// handle the other just recorded there, and its CallCommands finds no recording (1.2.1, at start); 1.4.3 corrupts a
+// heap in main+0x82e00 or hangs at the title menu. The settings menu of earlier releases wrote free_cores = 1 to
+// totk.ini under a label that promised the gate, and those files would keep failing at every start.
 static RtThread *g_core_owner[NCORE], *g_core_wait;
 static int g_cores_on = -1, g_held_max;
 
@@ -305,16 +312,23 @@ static void ap_init(void);
 
 static int cores_enabled(void) {
     if (g_cores_on < 0) {
-        g_cores_on = !cfg_bool("TOTK_FREE_CORES");   // "0" keeps the gate, like unset
+        const char *e = getenv("TOTK_FREE_CORES");
+        g_cores_on = !e || !*e || !strcmp(e, "0");   // "0" keeps the gate, like unset
+        const char *ini = cfg_get("TOTK_FREE_CORES");   // the environment's value when set, else totk.ini's
         if (!g_cores_on)
             rt_log("kernel: virtual core gate off (TOTK_FREE_CORES): guest threads run without the limit of one per "
                    "core that the game's per-core data needs; for experiments only, the game can fail");
+        else if (!e && ini && *ini && strcmp(ini, "0"))
+            rt_log("kernel: free_cores = %s in totk.ini ignored: the virtual core gate stays on (only TOTK_FREE_CORES "
+                   "in the environment lifts it)", ini);
         diag_init();
         ap_init();
     }
     return g_cores_on;
 }
 
+int kern_core_gate_on(void) { return cores_enabled(); }
+
 static int core_allowed(const RtThread *t, int c) { return (int)((t->mask >> c) & 1); }
 
 // ---- asynchronous preemption (TOTK_ASYNC_PREEMPT, on unless 0)
diff --git a/runtime/kernel.h b/runtime/kernel.h
index d719b301..10897245 100644
--- a/runtime/kernel.h
+++ b/runtime/kernel.h
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ enum { KERN_WAIT_NONE, KERN_WAIT_LOCK, KERN_WAIT_CONDVAR, KERN_WAIT_ADDRESS, KER
 int kern_thread_state(uint32_t handle);               // KERN_WAIT_*, KERN_THREAD_EXITED, or -1 for a bad handle
 void kern_core_stats(int *held_now, int *held_max);   // virtual-core holders now and the most ever at once
 void kern_core_stats_reset(void);
+int kern_core_gate_on(void);                          // 0 when TOTK_FREE_CORES in the environment lifted the gate
 extern volatile int kern_test_cv_old_order;           // WaitProcessWideKeyAtomic: release the lock before setting
                                                       // the key (MNG's pre-fix order, the negative control)
 extern void (*volatile kern_test_cv_hook)(void);      // called right after the lock release, holding the kernel lock
diff --git a/runtime/kernel_probe.c b/runtime/kernel_probe.c
index e226d4a5..5c8a0057 100644
--- a/runtime/kernel_probe.c
+++ b/runtime/kernel_probe.c
@@ -416,7 +416,7 @@ static void test_cores(Cpu *c) {
     int now, held_max;
     kern_core_stats(&now, &held_max);
     uint32_t cpus = plat_cpu_usable();
-    int gate = !cfg_bool("TOTK_FREE_CORES");   // the kernel's own switch
+    int gate = kern_core_gate_on();
     int ok = g_run_max <= 3 && held_max <= 3 && !g_core_clash && (cpus < 4 || g_run_max == 3);
     printf("virtual cores: %d threads x %d runs on %u host CPUs: at most %d running guest code at once, at most %d "
            "core holders (kernel count), %d core-number clashes: %s\n", CORE_WORKERS, CORE_RUNS, cpus, g_run_max,
diff --git a/totk.ini.example b/totk.ini.example
index 9dee23b7..0b7df377 100644
--- a/totk.ini.example
+++ b/totk.ini.example
@@ -27,9 +27,6 @@
 # async_preempt = 1
 # Replay NVN submissions on their own thread, at most one frame behind the game (1 = on). Adds up to a frame of latency.
 # replay_async = 0
-# 1 lifts the virtual core gate: guest threads run without the console's limit of one thread per core. For experiments
-# only: the game keeps per-core data without locks and can crash.
-# free_cores = 0
 # Windows timer resolution of 1 ms for steadier frame pacing (0 = the Windows default).
 # timer_1ms = 1