diff --git a/.cspell/custom-dictionary-workspace.txt b/.cspell/custom-dictionary-workspace.txt
index 92bb2dd..452fd36 100644
--- a/.cspell/custom-dictionary-workspace.txt
+++ b/.cspell/custom-dictionary-workspace.txt
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ Bootloading
 certificaterequests
 certmanager
 containo
+controlplane
 coredns
 crds
 dnsmasq
@@ -21,6 +22,7 @@ KUBECONFIG
 kubernetescrd
 kustomization
 letsencrypt
+machineconfig
 metallb
 NEXTCLOUD
 nftables
@@ -37,6 +39,8 @@ pgvector
 rcode
 restic
 SAMEORIGIN
+talosctl
+TALOSCTL
 traefik
 USEPATH
 vxlan
diff --git a/bin/wild-setup b/bin/wild-setup
index 7c84fb8..c0c8092 100755
--- a/bin/wild-setup
+++ b/bin/wild-setup
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
             echo "You can also run these components individually:"
             echo "  - wild-setup-scaffold  [--update]"
             echo "  - wild-setup-cluster   [--skip-installer] [--skip-hardware] [--skip-configs]"
-            echo "  - wild-setup-services  [--skip-install]"
+            echo "  - wild-setup-services  [--fetch] [--no-deploy]"
             echo ""
             echo "For detailed options for each component, use:"
             echo "  wild-setup-scaffold --help"
diff --git a/bin/wild-setup-services b/bin/wild-setup-services
index 7e1775e..432e554 100755
--- a/bin/wild-setup-services
+++ b/bin/wild-setup-services
@@ -5,27 +5,34 @@ set -o pipefail
 
 # Parse arguments
 
-SKIP_INSTALL=false
+FETCH=false
+NO_DEPLOY=false
 
 while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
     case $1 in
-        --skip-install)
-            SKIP_INSTALL=true
+        --fetch)
+            FETCH=true
+            shift
+            ;;
+        --no-deploy|--skip-install)
+            NO_DEPLOY=true
             shift
             ;;
         -h|--help)
             echo "Usage: $0 [options]"
             echo ""
-            echo "Install Kubernetes cluster services (Phase 4)."
+            echo "Set up all Kubernetes cluster services (Phase 4)."
             echo ""
             echo "Options:"
-            echo "  --skip-install      Generate service configs but skip installation"
+            echo "  --fetch             Fetch fresh templates for all services before setup"
+            echo "  --no-deploy         Configure all services but skip deployment"
+            echo "  --skip-install      Alias for --no-deploy (deprecated)"
             echo "  -h, --help          Show this help message"
             echo ""
             echo "This script will:"
-            echo "  - Generate cluster service configurations"
-            echo "  - Install core services (MetalLB, Traefik, cert-manager, etc.)"
-            echo "  - Each service will prompt for its required configuration"
+            echo "  - Set up core services in dependency order (MetalLB, Traefik, cert-manager, etc.)"
+            echo "  - Each service validates its prerequisites before deployment"
+            echo "  - Fail-fast with clear recovery instructions on errors"
             echo ""
             echo "Prerequisites:"
             echo "  - Run 'wild-setup-cluster' to set up cluster infrastructure"
@@ -83,12 +90,21 @@ SERVICES_TO_INSTALL=(
 INSTALLED_COUNT=0
 FAILED_COUNT=0
 
-if [ "${SKIP_INSTALL}" = false ]; then
+# Build service setup command flags
+SERVICE_FLAGS=""
+if [ "$FETCH" = true ]; then
+    SERVICE_FLAGS="$SERVICE_FLAGS --fetch"
+fi
+if [ "$NO_DEPLOY" = true ]; then
+    SERVICE_FLAGS="$SERVICE_FLAGS --no-deploy"
+fi
+
+if [ "$NO_DEPLOY" = false ]; then
     for service in "${SERVICES_TO_INSTALL[@]}"; do
         echo ""
         print_header "Setting up service: $service"
 
-        if wild-service-setup "$service" --fetch; then
+        if wild-service-setup "$service" $SERVICE_FLAGS; then
             print_success "$service setup completed"
             INSTALLED_COUNT=$((INSTALLED_COUNT + 1))
         else
@@ -104,16 +120,34 @@ if [ "${SKIP_INSTALL}" = false ]; then
         print_success "All $INSTALLED_COUNT services set up successfully!"
     else
         print_error "Service setup stopped after $service failure"
-        print_info "Fix the issue and resume with: wild-service-setup $service --fetch"
+        print_info "Fix the issue and resume with: wild-service-setup $service $SERVICE_FLAGS"
         print_info "Then continue with remaining services or re-run wild-setup-services"
         exit 1
     fi
 else
-    print_info "Skipping cluster services installation (--skip-install specified)"
-    print_info "You can install them later with:"
+    print_info "Skipping cluster services deployment (--no-deploy specified)"
+    print_info "Services will be configured but not deployed to cluster."
     for service in "${SERVICES_TO_INSTALL[@]}"; do
-        print_info "  wild-service-setup $service --fetch"
+        echo ""
+        print_header "Configuring service: $service"
+
+        if wild-service-setup "$service" $SERVICE_FLAGS; then
+            print_success "$service configuration completed"
+            INSTALLED_COUNT=$((INSTALLED_COUNT + 1))
+        else
+            print_error "$service configuration failed"
+            FAILED_COUNT=$((FAILED_COUNT + 1))
+            break
+        fi
     done
+
+    if [ $FAILED_COUNT -eq 0 ]; then
+        print_success "All $INSTALLED_COUNT services configured successfully!"
+        print_info "To deploy them later, run: wild-setup-services"
+    else
+        print_error "Service configuration stopped after $service failure"
+        exit 1
+    fi
 fi
 
 # Summary output
diff --git a/docs/agent-context/wildcloud/bin-scripts.md b/docs/agent-context/wildcloud/bin-scripts.md
index 669f0bf..3c3cc9b 100644
--- a/docs/agent-context/wildcloud/bin-scripts.md
+++ b/docs/agent-context/wildcloud/bin-scripts.md
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ Wild Cloud provides 34+ command-line tools (all prefixed with `wild-`) for manag
 
 **`wild-setup-services`** - Install cluster services (Phase 4)
 - Manages MetalLB, Traefik, cert-manager, etc.
-- Options: `--skip-install` for config generation only
+- Options: `--fetch` for fresh templates, `--no-deploy` for config-only
 - **Usage**: `wild-setup-services [options]`
 - **Requires**: Working Kubernetes cluster
 
diff --git a/docs/agent-context/wildcloud/setup-process.md b/docs/agent-context/wildcloud/setup-process.md
index 9434696..978e960 100644
--- a/docs/agent-context/wildcloud/setup-process.md
+++ b/docs/agent-context/wildcloud/setup-process.md
@@ -131,7 +131,9 @@ Interactive process for each node:
 ## Phase 4: Cluster Services Installation
 
 ### Services Deployment Process
-**Command**: `wild-setup-services`
+**Command**: `wild-setup-services [options]`
+- **`--fetch`**: Fetch fresh templates before setup
+- **`--no-deploy`**: Configure only, skip deployment
 
 **New Architecture**: Per-service atomic operations
 - Uses `wild-service-setup <service>` for each service in dependency order
diff --git a/setup/cluster-services/README.md b/setup/cluster-services/README.md
index e40b44e..0333df3 100644
--- a/setup/cluster-services/README.md
+++ b/setup/cluster-services/README.md
@@ -49,7 +49,13 @@ Internet → External DNS → MetalLB LoadBalancer → Traefik → Kubernetes Se
 ### Complete Infrastructure Setup
 ```bash
 # All services with fresh templates (recommended for first-time setup)
+wild-setup-services --fetch
+
+# All services using existing templates (fastest)
 wild-setup-services
+
+# Configure all services but don't deploy (for planning)
+wild-setup-services --no-deploy
 ```
 
 ### Individual Service Management