diff --git a/docs/changelog.d/+branch-cleanup-preserve.misc.md b/docs/changelog.d/+branch-cleanup-preserve.misc.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..425e8cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/changelog.d/+branch-cleanup-preserve.misc.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Add `preserve/*` branch prefix exclusion to `branch-cleanup` task; document Pyroscope profiling work and blockers in observability reference.
diff --git a/docs/reference/operations/observability.md b/docs/reference/operations/observability.md
index 35136d5..622779e 100644
--- a/docs/reference/operations/observability.md
+++ b/docs/reference/operations/observability.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: Observability
-modified: 2026-03-22
+modified: 2026-03-26
 tags:
   - operations
 ---
@@ -17,6 +17,22 @@ Metrics, logs, traces, and dashboards for BlumeOps infrastructure.
 - [[alloy|Alloy]] - Metrics, log, and trace collection
 - [[grafana]] - Dashboards and visualization
 
+## Future: Continuous Profiling (Pyroscope)
+
+Full implementation on branch `preserve/pyroscope-profiling/pr-313` (PR #313, closed). Includes Pyroscope server (StatefulSet on ringtail), Alloy profiling DaemonSet (`pyroscope.ebpf`), Grafana datasource with traces-to-profiles linking, Nix container build with embedded frontend, and documentation.
+
+**Blocked on ringtail kernel sysctl settings.** The `pyroscope.ebpf` Alloy component requires:
+- `kernel.kptr_restrict = 0` (currently `1` — kallsyms addresses are zeroed)
+- `kernel.perf_event_paranoid ≤ 1` (currently `2` — eBPF perf events restricted)
+
+These must be set in ringtail's NixOS configuration (`boot.kernel.sysctl`). Once applied, the branch can be rebased onto main and deployed.
+
+## Future: Frontend Monitoring (RUM)
+
+Grafana Faro is a Real User Monitoring SDK that captures page loads, web vitals, errors, and network timings from the browser, feeding into Loki (logs) and Tempo (traces) via Alloy's `faro.receiver` component. This would add an "outside-in" view of service health from the user's perspective.
+
+**Not currently deployed.** RUM captures browsing behavior from visitors to public services, creating a data retention liability. Would require careful sanitization before deploying.
+
 ## Alerting
 
 - [[deploy-infra-alerting]] - Alerting pipeline (Grafana Unified Alerting → ntfy)
diff --git a/mise-tasks/branch-cleanup b/mise-tasks/branch-cleanup
index 0b5a301..bd5ac66 100755
--- a/mise-tasks/branch-cleanup
+++ b/mise-tasks/branch-cleanup
@@ -44,12 +44,18 @@ from rich.console import Console
 from rich.table import Table
 
 PROTECTED_BRANCHES = {"main", "master"}
+PROTECTED_PREFIXES = ("preserve/",)
 FORGE_API = "https://forge.eblu.me/api/v1"
 REPO_OWNER = "eblume"
 REPO_NAME = "blumeops"
 OP_TOKEN_REF = "op://vg6xf6vvfmoh5hqjjhlhbeoaie/w3663ffnvkewbftncqxtcpeavy/api-token"
 
 
+def is_protected(name: str) -> bool:
+    """Check if a branch is protected by name or prefix."""
+    return name in PROTECTED_BRANCHES or name.startswith(PROTECTED_PREFIXES)
+
+
 def run_git(*args: str) -> str:
     """Run a git command and return stdout."""
     result = subprocess.run(
@@ -113,7 +119,7 @@ def get_git_merged_local_branches() -> set[str]:
     branches = set()
     for line in output.splitlines():
         name = line.strip().lstrip("* ")
-        if name and name not in PROTECTED_BRANCHES:
+        if name and not is_protected(name):
             branches.add(name)
     return branches
 
@@ -143,7 +149,7 @@ def get_all_local_branches() -> set[str]:
     branches = set()
     for line in output.splitlines():
         name = line.strip().lstrip("* ")
-        if name and name not in PROTECTED_BRANCHES:
+        if name and not is_protected(name):
             branches.add(name)
     return branches
 
@@ -164,7 +170,7 @@ def get_api_branches(client: httpx.Client) -> dict[str, str]:
             break
         for branch in data:
             name = branch["name"]
-            if name not in PROTECTED_BRANCHES:
+            if not is_protected(name):
                 date = branch.get("commit", {}).get("timestamp", "")
                 branches[name] = date
         page += 1