diff --git a/.github/workflows/stale-backlog-caller.yml b/.github/workflows/stale-backlog-caller.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..022bb5c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/stale-backlog-caller.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+name: Close stale backlog issues
+
+# THIN CALLER (backend#1979). The sweep used to be a 16-way copy of
+# `actions/stale`, which could not be given board awareness: eligibility has to
+# read the card's `Status`, and a script cannot be maintained as sixteen
+# byte-identical copies (backend#1597 item 1).
+#
+# The reusable it calls replaces `actions/stale` with `stale-backlog.py`, whose
+# eligibility is exactly `Backlog` — so a `North Stars` epic, or anything already
+# in the pipeline, can no longer be auto-closed by a sweep that could not see
+# which column it was in.
+#
+# NO INPUTS PASSED ON PURPOSE. Every input the callee declares is defaulted
+# (`project-number: 2`, `dry-run: false`, `strict: false`, `script-ref: main`),
+# and a caller may only pass inputs the `@main` callee declares — passing one it
+# does not have kills the run at startup_failure, which is why the callee had to
+# land on `main` before these callers could be armed at all.
+on:
+  schedule:
+    - cron: '0 0 * * 1'  # Mondays 00:00 UTC
+  workflow_dispatch: {}
+
+# `contents: read` only. The sweep's writes go through the App token minted
+# inside the reusable, not through GITHUB_TOKEN — and asking for more here than
+# the callee needs would exceed a minimal grant and fail the run at startup with
+# no jobs (the same constraint code-quality.yml documents).
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  stale:
+    uses: tracebloc/.github/.github/workflows/stale-backlog.yml@main
+    secrets: inherit
diff --git a/.github/workflows/stale-backlog.yml b/.github/workflows/stale-backlog.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 14d689e..0000000
--- a/.github/workflows/stale-backlog.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,33 +0,0 @@
-name: Close stale backlog issues
-
-on:
-  schedule:
-    - cron: '0 0 * * 1'  # Mondays 00:00 UTC
-  workflow_dispatch: {}
-
-permissions:
-  issues: write
-  pull-requests: write
-
-jobs:
-  stale:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/stale@5bef64f19d7facfb25b37b414482c7164d639639 # v9.1.0
-        with:
-          days-before-issue-stale: 42  # 6 weeks of no activity → warning
-          days-before-issue-close: 14  # +2 weeks of silence → close
-          stale-issue-label: 'stale'
-          stale-issue-message: |
-            👋 This issue has had no activity for 6 weeks.
-
-            If it's still relevant, please leave a comment with current context (or assign someone). Otherwise it will auto-close in 2 weeks.
-
-            To exempt permanently, add the `keep-open` label.
-          close-issue-message: |
-            Closing due to 8+ weeks of inactivity. Please reopen with current context if relevant.
-          exempt-issue-labels: 'keep-open,blocked'
-          # PRs: don't auto-stale — branch protection + active reviews govern those
-          days-before-pr-stale: -1
-          days-before-pr-close: -1
-          operations-per-run: 50