diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 515117c..700707e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ triage status (resolve, reopen, or mute). History-backed and best-effort, like
 ### waf
 
 - `get`, `list`, `delete`.
-- `set -f <spec.yaml>` `-description` — apply a WAF zone from a YAML spec (description, rules, limits). `-f` is required.
+- `set -f <spec.yaml>` `-description` — apply a WAF zone from a YAML spec (description, rules, limits, managedRules). `-f` is required. Set replaces the whole zone: a spec that omits `managedRules` disables and clears it, so always start from `waf get -oyaml` output.
 - `metrics` / `limitmetrics` `-time-range 1h|6h|12h|1d|7d|30d`.
 
 ### wafList (`waflist`)
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index bbbf001..8b6a6ce 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ module github.com/deploys-app/deploys
 go 1.26
 
 require (
-	github.com/deploys-app/api v0.0.0-20260713024420-a04c48ceccc7
+	github.com/deploys-app/api v0.0.0-20260714032659-67fc2739ece3
 	github.com/moonrhythm/toon v0.0.0-20260702100246-6fcdad0a6a12
 	golang.org/x/mod v0.37.0
 	golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.14.0
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 042f14e..aa4b309 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ github.com/asaskevich/govalidator v0.0.0-20230301143203-a9d515a09cc2/go.mod h1:W
 github.com/creack/pty v1.1.9/go.mod h1:oKZEueFk5CKHvIhNR5MUki03XCEU+Q6VDXinZuGJ33E=
 github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1 h1:vj9j/u1bqnvCEfJOwUhtlOARqs3+rkHYY13jYWTU97c=
 github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1/go.mod h1:J7Y8YcW2NihsgmVo/mv3lAwl/skON4iLHjSsI+c5H38=
-github.com/deploys-app/api v0.0.0-20260713024420-a04c48ceccc7 h1:7ecexsz+To+O0+NNPAfDI7hLgHabTjS48I8n/5TKvLw=
-github.com/deploys-app/api v0.0.0-20260713024420-a04c48ceccc7/go.mod h1:X70UJs5awlRV4Cmn0FPJAgEbn4N933K8YgSKc1y9aD8=
+github.com/deploys-app/api v0.0.0-20260714032659-67fc2739ece3 h1:byHI6dFiiu8694sfP/c6dr5q5ALi+tMtHEkwn7Pavoc=
+github.com/deploys-app/api v0.0.0-20260714032659-67fc2739ece3/go.mod h1:X70UJs5awlRV4Cmn0FPJAgEbn4N933K8YgSKc1y9aD8=
 github.com/dustin/go-humanize v1.0.1 h1:GzkhY7T5VNhEkwH0PVJgjz+fX1rhBrR7pRT3mDkpeCY=
 github.com/dustin/go-humanize v1.0.1/go.mod h1:Mu1zIs6XwVuF/gI1OepvI0qD18qycQx+mFykh5fBlto=
 github.com/golang/protobuf v1.3.1/go.mod h1:6lQm79b+lXiMfvg/cZm0SGofjICqVBUtrP5yJMmIC1U=
diff --git a/internal/runner/help.go b/internal/runner/help.go
index 3a2d190..74d79a1 100644
--- a/internal/runner/help.go
+++ b/internal/runner/help.go
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ var commands = []command{
 		subs: []subcommand{
 			{name: "get", short: "show the WAF zone"},
 			{name: "list", short: "list WAF zones in a project"},
-			{name: "set", args: "-f <spec.yaml> [-description]", short: "apply a WAF zone from a YAML spec"},
+			{name: "set", args: "-f <spec.yaml> [-description]", short: "apply a WAF zone from a YAML spec (whole replace; omitting managedRules clears it)"},
 			{name: "delete", short: "delete the WAF zone"},
 			{name: "metrics", args: "[-time-range 1h|6h|12h|1d|7d|30d]", short: "show WAF request metrics"},
 			{name: "limitmetrics", args: "[-time-range 1h|6h|12h|1d|7d|30d]", short: "show WAF rate-limit metrics"},
diff --git a/internal/runner/waf.go b/internal/runner/waf.go
index 19a7446..2e52633 100644
--- a/internal/runner/waf.go
+++ b/internal/runner/waf.go
@@ -37,17 +37,19 @@ func (rn Runner) waf(args ...string) error {
 		f.Parse(args[1:])
 		resp, err = s.List(context.Background(), &req)
 	case "set":
-		// Set replaces the whole zone (rules and limits) all-or-nothing, so it
-		// takes a spec file rather than per-rule flags. The file is the yaml
-		// form of waf get (description, rules, limits); project and location
-		// flags override values in the file.
+		// Set replaces the whole zone (rules, limits, and managed rules)
+		// all-or-nothing, so it takes a spec file rather than per-rule flags.
+		// The file is the yaml form of waf get (description, rules, limits,
+		// managedRules); project and location flags override values in the
+		// file. Omitting managedRules disables and clears it — always start
+		// from waf get output.
 		var (
 			fn          string
 			project     string
 			location    string
 			description string
 		)
-		f.StringVar(&fn, "f", "", "spec file (yaml: description, rules, limits)")
+		f.StringVar(&fn, "f", "", "spec file (yaml: description, rules, limits, managedRules)")
 		f.StringVar(&project, "project", "", "project id")
 		f.StringVar(&location, "location", "", "location")
 		f.StringVar(&description, "description", "", "zone description")
diff --git a/internal/runner/waf_test.go b/internal/runner/waf_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..06b662d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/runner/waf_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+package runner
+
+import (
+	"reflect"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/deploys-app/api"
+	"gopkg.in/yaml.v2"
+)
+
+// TestWAFSetSpecManagedRules pins the spec-file contract the waf set help
+// promises (SPEC-waf-managed-rules §2.2/§6): the CLI never touches
+// managedRules itself — it relies on the api module's yaml tags — so an api
+// tag regression would silently drop or rename the field on the wire. These
+// cases fail loudly instead.
+func TestWAFSetSpecManagedRules(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	parse := func(t *testing.T, spec string) api.WAFSet {
+		t.Helper()
+		var req api.WAFSet
+		if err := yaml.Unmarshal([]byte(spec), &req); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("parse spec: %v", err)
+		}
+		return req
+	}
+
+	t.Run("OmittedDecodesNil", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+
+		// A pre-managedRules spec must decode to nil (= server disables and
+		// clears the block under whole-replace semantics), not a zero struct.
+		req := parse(t, "project: p1\nlocation: gke.cluster-rcf2\nrules: []\nlimits: []\n")
+		if req.ManagedRules != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("managedRules omitted, want nil, got %+v", req.ManagedRules)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("DisabledKeepsTuning", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+
+		// enabled:false with tuning is the mid-incident toggle-off shape; the
+		// curated exclusion list must survive the CLI parse.
+		req := parse(t, `
+project: p1
+location: gke.cluster-rcf2
+managedRules:
+  enabled: false
+  excludedRules: [942100]
+`)
+		want := &api.WAFManagedRules{Enabled: false, ExcludedRules: []int{942100}}
+		if !reflect.DeepEqual(req.ManagedRules, want) {
+			t.Fatalf("managedRules = %+v, want %+v", req.ManagedRules, want)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("GetOutputRoundTrips", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+
+		// The documented workflow is `waf get -oyaml` → edit → `waf set -f`;
+		// WAFItem yaml (with its read-only extras) must feed back into WAFSet
+		// with the full managedRules block intact.
+		mr := &api.WAFManagedRules{
+			Enabled:          true,
+			Mode:             "detect",
+			ParanoiaLevel:    2,
+			AnomalyThreshold: 10,
+			ExcludedRules:    []int{941100, 942100},
+		}
+		item := api.WAFItem{
+			Project:      "p1",
+			Location:     "gke.cluster-rcf2",
+			Description:  "zone",
+			ManagedRules: mr,
+			Status:       api.Success,
+		}
+		b, err := yaml.Marshal(item)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("marshal waf get output: %v", err)
+		}
+		req := parse(t, string(b))
+		if !reflect.DeepEqual(req.ManagedRules, mr) {
+			t.Fatalf("round-trip managedRules = %+v, want %+v", req.ManagedRules, mr)
+		}
+	})
+}