diff --git a/decnet/cli/init.py b/decnet/cli/init.py
index f1fc0f5a..344dda13 100644
--- a/decnet/cli/init.py
+++ b/decnet/cli/init.py
@@ -44,6 +44,12 @@ _CONFIG_PLACEHOLDER = """\
 # EnvironmentFile= — never in a group-readable INI.
 
 [decnet]
+# DECNET-service user/group as configured at `decnet init` time.
+# Resolved to a uid/gid on each host at deploy time via pwd.getpwnam,
+# so the same user name can have different numeric uids on master vs
+# agents without breaking artifact ownership.
+api-user = {api_user}
+api-group = {api_group}
 # mode = master                          # or "agent"
 
 # [api]
@@ -198,14 +204,17 @@ def _ensure_dir(
     return f"skip: {path} already present" if existed else "ok"
 
 
-def _ensure_config(path: Path, group: str, *, dry_run: bool) -> str:
+def _ensure_config(
+    path: Path, group: str, *, user: str, dry_run: bool,
+) -> str:
     if path.exists():
         return f"skip: {path} already present"
     if dry_run:
         console.print(f"  [dim]would write:[/] {path}")
         return "ok"
     path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
-    path.write_text(_CONFIG_PLACEHOLDER)
+    rendered = _CONFIG_PLACEHOLDER.format(api_user=user, api_group=group)
+    path.write_text(rendered)
     try:
         os.chmod(path, 0o640)
         gid = grp.getgrnam(group).gr_gid
@@ -781,7 +790,10 @@ def register(app: typer.Typer) -> None:
             )
         _step(
             f"write {etc_decnet / 'decnet.ini'}",
-            lambda: _ensure_config(etc_decnet / "decnet.ini", group, dry_run=dry_run),
+            lambda: _ensure_config(
+                etc_decnet / "decnet.ini", group,
+                user=user, dry_run=dry_run,
+            ),
         )
         _step(
             "install systemd units",
diff --git a/tests/cli/test_init.py b/tests/cli/test_init.py
index f3f3803e..63fdacaf 100644
--- a/tests/cli/test_init.py
+++ b/tests/cli/test_init.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ into a pytest ``tmp_path``.
 """
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import os
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any, List
 
@@ -217,6 +218,55 @@ def test_init_writes_decnet_ini_not_config_ini(
         assert header in body, f"placeholder missing {header} example"
 
 
+def test_init_persists_api_user_group_to_decnet_ini(
+    monkeypatch: Any, tmp_path: Path, subprocess_calls: List[List[str]],
+    no_missing_tools: None, missing_user_and_group: None,
+) -> None:
+    """DEBT-035: `decnet init --user X --group Y` must persist the
+    DECNET-service user/group **as names** to decnet.ini under
+    `[decnet] api-user` / `api-group`. Resolution to numeric uid/gid
+    happens at deploy time on whichever host runs the deploy — names
+    survive across master/agent uid namespaces while raw numbers
+    would mismatch."""
+    _seed_deploy(monkeypatch, tmp_path)
+    prefix = tmp_path / "root"
+    r = runner.invoke(app, [
+        "init", "--no-start", "--prefix", str(prefix),
+        "--user", "decoyman", "--group", "decoygrp",
+    ])
+    assert r.exit_code == 0, r.output
+
+    body = (prefix / "etc/decnet/decnet.ini").read_text()
+    assert "api-user = decoyman" in body
+    assert "api-group = decoygrp" in body
+
+
+def test_init_decnet_ini_loads_via_config_ini(
+    monkeypatch: Any, tmp_path: Path, subprocess_calls: List[List[str]],
+    no_missing_tools: None, missing_user_and_group: None,
+) -> None:
+    """Defence-in-depth: round-trip the rendered ini through
+    `decnet.config_ini.load_ini_config` and confirm that
+    DECNET_API_USER / DECNET_API_GROUP appear in os.environ. The
+    composer reads those env vars at deploy time."""
+    from decnet.config_ini import load_ini_config
+
+    _seed_deploy(monkeypatch, tmp_path)
+    prefix = tmp_path / "root"
+    r = runner.invoke(app, [
+        "init", "--no-start", "--prefix", str(prefix),
+        "--user", "deckyowner", "--group", "deckygroup",
+    ])
+    assert r.exit_code == 0, r.output
+
+    ini = prefix / "etc/decnet/decnet.ini"
+    monkeypatch.delenv("DECNET_API_USER", raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.delenv("DECNET_API_GROUP", raising=False)
+    load_ini_config(ini)
+    assert os.environ.get("DECNET_API_USER") == "deckyowner"
+    assert os.environ.get("DECNET_API_GROUP") == "deckygroup"
+
+
 def test_install_dir_renders_into_service_units(
     monkeypatch: Any, tmp_path: Path, subprocess_calls: List[List[str]],
     no_missing_tools: None, missing_user_and_group: None,