diff --git a/src/simulator/crates/mc-ai/src/tactical/mod.rs b/src/simulator/crates/mc-ai/src/tactical/mod.rs
index f9078294..4611bc2a 100644
--- a/src/simulator/crates/mc-ai/src/tactical/mod.rs
+++ b/src/simulator/crates/mc-ai/src/tactical/mod.rs
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ pub mod combat_predict;
 pub(crate) mod movement;
 pub(crate) mod production;
 pub mod promotion;
+pub mod ransom_decision;
 pub mod scoring;
 pub(crate) mod settle;
 pub mod state;
diff --git a/src/simulator/crates/mc-ai/src/tactical/ransom_decision.rs b/src/simulator/crates/mc-ai/src/tactical/ransom_decision.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c351693c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/simulator/crates/mc-ai/src/tactical/ransom_decision.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,130 @@
+//! p2-55d — AI ransom accept/refuse decision shim used by mc-turn's
+//! start-of-turn hook.
+//!
+//! `mc-ai::policy::decide_ransom_response` is the pure decision function and
+//! ships with `PersonalityPriors` already loaded. This module exposes a thin
+//! convenience surface for the mc-turn caller so processor.rs does not need to
+//! re-implement priors loading inline. All I/O is fenced behind explicit
+//! function calls — the decision function itself stays pure.
+//!
+//! ## Surface
+//!
+//! * [`priors_for_clan`] — load a clan's `PersonalityPriors` from a data dir.
+//!   Errors swallowed to `None` so the caller can fall back to neutral
+//!   defaults without panicking on a malformed data pack.
+//! * [`PendingDecision`] / [`decide_for_offers`] — apply
+//!   `decide_ransom_response` over an iterator of offers using a caller-
+//!   supplied priors lookup, returning a small Vec the caller drains to apply
+//!   gold deductions and ownership flips.
+//!
+//! The module is file-disjoint from [`crate::policy`] per p2-55d's edit
+//! charter — capture/ransom core scoring stays in `policy.rs`, the
+//! mc-turn-facing helper lives here.
+
+use std::path::Path;
+
+use crate::policy::{decide_ransom_response, PersonalityPriors, RansomDecision};
+
+/// Load `PersonalityPriors` for `clan_id` from `<data_dir>/ai_personalities.json`.
+///
+/// Returns `None` when the data file is missing, malformed, or does not
+/// contain the clan id. Callers (mc-turn::processor) treat `None` as
+/// "fall back to `PersonalityPriors::default()`", which keeps the hook
+/// quiet in tests that do not pin a data dir.
+pub fn priors_for_clan(clan_id: &str, data_dir: &Path) -> Option<PersonalityPriors> {
+    PersonalityPriors::from_personality(clan_id, data_dir).ok()
+}
+
+/// Result of applying [`decide_ransom_response`] to a single pending offer.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub struct PendingDecision {
+    /// Offer id, copied verbatim from the `RansomOffer` so the caller can
+    /// route into `RansomQueue::accept(id)` / `refuse(id)` without re-zipping.
+    pub offer_id: u32,
+    /// `true` when the AI chose to accept AND has sufficient gold. `false`
+    /// for `RansomDecision::Refuse` or `Accept` with insufficient gold.
+    pub accept: bool,
+}
+
+/// Apply [`decide_ransom_response`] to every `(offer_id, price)` in `offers`
+/// using `self_gold` and `self_priors`. Returns a verdict per offer in input
+/// order. Pure — no I/O, no logging. The caller in mc-turn::processor owns
+/// the queue/state mutation and event emission.
+///
+/// `offers` is `(offer_id, price)` rather than a `&RansomOffer` slice to keep
+/// the mc-ai crate from importing `mc_turn::ransom::RansomOffer` (which would
+/// create a reverse dep). The caller pre-projects.
+pub fn decide_for_offers<I>(
+    offers: I,
+    self_gold: i32,
+    self_priors: &PersonalityPriors,
+) -> Vec<PendingDecision>
+where
+    I: IntoIterator<Item = (u32, i32)>,
+{
+    offers
+        .into_iter()
+        .map(|(offer_id, price)| {
+            let verdict = decide_ransom_response(price, self_gold, self_priors);
+            PendingDecision {
+                offer_id,
+                accept: matches!(verdict, RansomDecision::Accept) && self_gold >= price,
+            }
+        })
+        .collect()
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    fn merchant_priors() -> PersonalityPriors {
+        // ransom_accept_threshold 0.9 → accept-at-sufficient-gold fires
+        // (0.85 * 0.9 = 0.765 ≥ 0.5).
+        PersonalityPriors {
+            ransom_accept_threshold: 0.9,
+            ..PersonalityPriors::default()
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn raider_priors() -> PersonalityPriors {
+        // ransom_accept_threshold 0.3 → 0.85 * 0.3 = 0.255 < 0.5 → refuse.
+        PersonalityPriors {
+            ransom_accept_threshold: 0.3,
+            ..PersonalityPriors::default()
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn merchant_accepts_when_gold_sufficient() {
+        let decisions = decide_for_offers([(7, 50)], 200, &merchant_priors());
+        assert_eq!(decisions.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(decisions[0].offer_id, 7);
+        assert!(decisions[0].accept, "merchant with 200g must accept 50g offer");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn raider_refuses_even_when_solvent() {
+        let decisions = decide_for_offers([(7, 50)], 200, &raider_priors());
+        assert!(!decisions[0].accept, "raider threshold 0.3 yields refuse");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn insufficient_gold_forces_refuse_regardless_of_priors() {
+        let decisions = decide_for_offers([(7, 500)], 10, &merchant_priors());
+        assert!(!decisions[0].accept, "below-price gold always refuses");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn empty_offers_yields_empty_decisions() {
+        let decisions = decide_for_offers(std::iter::empty(), 100, &merchant_priors());
+        assert!(decisions.is_empty());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn priors_for_unknown_clan_returns_none_without_panic() {
+        // No data dir on disk for this test — just exercise the None path.
+        let priors = priors_for_clan("nonexistent_clan_xyz", Path::new("/no/such/dir"));
+        assert!(priors.is_none());
+    }
+}