diff --git a/alembic/versions/073_project_environments.py b/alembic/versions/073_project_environments.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5765ad58
--- /dev/null
+++ b/alembic/versions/073_project_environments.py
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+"""Per-project ordered environment ladder column.
+
+Replaces the single ``default_branch`` as the source of truth for a project's
+PR target (head rung) and release target (prod rung). The ladder is an ordered
+``list[{name, branch}]``: index 0 = head (where dev/cell/leaf PRs land), index
+-1 = prod (where the gated release executor commits + tags), middle rungs =
+intermediates (qa/stag). The ``EnvSyncEngine`` cascades prod→…→head so dev
+never falls behind prod, and the CEO-gated release promotes the full chain
+head→…→prod before bumping.
+
+Additive and nullable: an unset (null) ``environments`` falls back to a
+degenerate single-branch ladder synthesized from ``default_branch`` at read
+time (``roboco/services/env_branches.py``), so every existing project keeps
+behaving byte-for-byte as before until the operator declares a real ladder
+in the panel. ``default_branch`` is retained as the legacy/shim source.
+
+Revision ID: 073_project_environments
+Revises: 072_project_sandbox_extensions
+Create Date: 2026-07-15
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import sqlalchemy as sa
+from alembic import op
+from sqlalchemy.dialects import postgresql
+
+revision = "073_project_environments"
+down_revision = "072_project_sandbox_extensions"
+branch_labels: dict[str, str] | None = None
+depends_on: dict[str, str] | None = None
+
+
+def upgrade() -> None:
+    op.add_column(
+        "projects",
+        sa.Column("environments", postgresql.JSONB(), nullable=True),
+    )
+
+
+def downgrade() -> None:
+    op.drop_column("projects", "environments")
diff --git a/roboco/api/routes/project.py b/roboco/api/routes/project.py
index ae0b3430..e4b95acb 100644
--- a/roboco/api/routes/project.py
+++ b/roboco/api/routes/project.py
@@ -141,6 +141,7 @@ async def create_project(
         git_url=data.git_url,
         default_branch=data.default_branch,
         protected_branches=protected_branches,
+        environments=data.environments,
         assigned_cell=data.assigned_cell,
         git_token=data.git_token,
         test_command=data.test_command,
diff --git a/roboco/api/schemas/project.py b/roboco/api/schemas/project.py
index 0940fcf7..cee1cfa0 100644
--- a/roboco/api/schemas/project.py
+++ b/roboco/api/schemas/project.py
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ class ProjectResponse(BaseModel):
     git_url: str
     default_branch: str
     protected_branches: list[str]
+    environments: list[dict[str, str]] | None = None
     assigned_cell: Team
 
     # Git authentication status (token never exposed, only boolean)
@@ -105,6 +106,14 @@ class ProjectCreateRequest(BaseModel):
         default=None,
         description="Branches to protect. Defaults to [default_branch].",
     )
+    environments: list[dict[str, str]] | None = Field(
+        default=None,
+        description=(
+            "Ordered environment ladder [{name, branch}]; first = head (PR "
+            "target), last = prod (release target). null → inherits "
+            "default_branch (head == prod)."
+        ),
+    )
     assigned_cell: Team
 
     # Git authentication (will be encrypted and stored securely)
@@ -129,6 +138,7 @@ class ProjectUpdateRequest(BaseModel):
     git_url: str | None = None
     default_branch: str | None = None
     protected_branches: list[str] | None = None
+    environments: list[dict[str, str]] | None = None
     assigned_cell: Team | None = None
 
     # Git authentication (empty string clears token, None leaves unchanged)
@@ -226,6 +236,7 @@ def project_to_response(project: "ProjectTable") -> ProjectResponse:
         git_url=str(project.git_url),
         default_branch=str(default_branch) if default_branch else "master",
         protected_branches=list(project.protected_branches or []),
+        environments=list(project.environments) if project.environments else None,
         assigned_cell=project.assigned_cell,
         has_git_token=bool(project.git_token_encrypted),
         test_command=project.test_command,
@@ -266,3 +277,4 @@ def project_to_summary(project: "ProjectTable") -> ProjectSummaryResponse:
         has_git_token=bool(project.git_token_encrypted),
         video_engine_enabled=bool(project.video_engine_enabled),
     )
+
diff --git a/roboco/db/tables.py b/roboco/db/tables.py
index 04149fd4..dcc08147 100644
--- a/roboco/db/tables.py
+++ b/roboco/db/tables.py
@@ -498,6 +498,14 @@ class ProjectTable(Base):
     protected_branches: Mapped[list[str]] = mapped_column(
         ARRAY(String), default=lambda: ["main", "master"]
     )
+    # Ordered environment ladder [{name, branch}]: index 0 = head (PR target),
+    # index -1 = prod (release target), middle = intermediates. Null →
+    # roboco.services.env_branches synthesizes a degenerate single-branch
+    # ladder from default_branch (head == prod == default_branch), so behavior
+    # is unchanged until the operator declares a real split.
+    environments: Mapped[list[dict[str, Any]] | None] = mapped_column(
+        JSONB, nullable=True
+    )
     git_token_encrypted: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(
         Text, nullable=True
     )  # Fernet-encrypted GitHub PAT
diff --git a/roboco/models/env_branches.py b/roboco/models/env_branches.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a66e66ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roboco/models/env_branches.py
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+"""Per-project environment ladder helpers.
+
+A project's environment ladder is an ordered ``list[{name, branch}]``: index 0
+is **head** (the branch dev/cell/leaf PRs target — the dev trunk), index -1 is
+**prod** (the branch the gated release executor commits + tags on), and the
+middle rungs are intermediates (qa/stag). This separates "where work lands"
+from "what prod is", which a single ``default_branch`` could not.
+
+When ``environments`` is null/empty the ladder is synthesized from
+``default_branch`` as a degenerate single-branch ladder (head == prod ==
+``default_branch``), so every consumer — PR target, release target, sync —
+keeps behaving exactly as before the column existed. Operators declare a real
+split in the panel.
+
+These helpers are the single chokepoint every consumer routes through; never
+read ``project.environments`` raw. Pure domain logic (pydantic-only), kept in
+``roboco.models`` so the Project model can import it without a services-cycle.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from pydantic import BaseModel
+
+# A project or project-row duck-type: both the pydantic ``Project`` and the
+# SQLAlchemy ``ProjectTable`` expose ``environments`` and ``default_branch``.
+_ENV_LADDER = "head"
+_PROD_LADDER = "prod"
+
+
+class EnvRung(BaseModel):
+    """One rung of the environment ladder."""
+
+    name: str
+    branch: str
+
+
+def _coerce_rungs(
+    raw: list[dict[str, str]] | list[EnvRung] | None,
+) -> list[EnvRung] | None:
+    """Normalize a raw list of dicts/models into EnvRungs; None/empty -> None."""
+    if not raw:
+        return None
+    out: list[EnvRung] = []
+    for item in raw:
+        if isinstance(item, EnvRung):
+            out.append(item)
+        else:
+            out.append(EnvRung.model_validate(item))
+    return out
+
+
+def effective_environments(project: object) -> list[EnvRung]:
+    """Return the project's resolved environment ladder (never empty).
+
+    Falls back to a degenerate single-branch ladder synthesized from
+    ``default_branch`` when ``environments`` is null/empty, so behavior is
+    unchanged until the operator declares a real ladder.
+    """
+    rungs = _coerce_rungs(getattr(project, "environments", None))  # type: ignore[arg-type]
+    if rungs:
+        return rungs
+    fallback = str(getattr(project, "default_branch", None) or "master")
+    return [
+        EnvRung(name=_ENV_LADDER, branch=fallback),
+        EnvRung(name=_PROD_LADDER, branch=fallback),
+    ]
+
+
+def head_branch(project: object) -> str:
+    """The branch dev/cell/leaf PRs target (ladder index 0)."""
+    return effective_environments(project)[0].branch
+
+
+def prod_branch(project: object) -> str:
+    """The branch the gated release executor commits + tags on (last rung)."""
+    return effective_environments(project)[-1].branch
+
+
+def ladder_pairs(project: object) -> list[tuple[EnvRung, EnvRung]]:
+    """Adjacent rung pairs for the prod->head cascade, top-down.
+
+    For ``[head, qa, stag, prod]`` (index 0..3) returns
+    ``[(prod, stag), (stag, qa), (qa, head)]`` — each ``(upper, lower)`` pair
+    means "merge ``upper`` into ``lower``". Empty for a 1-rung ladder.
+    """
+    rungs = effective_environments(project)
+    return [(rungs[i], rungs[i - 1]) for i in range(len(rungs) - 1, 0, -1)]
+
+
+def normalize_environments(
+    value: list[dict[str, str]] | list[EnvRung] | None,
+) -> list[dict[str, str]] | None:
+    """Validate + normalize a ladder before persistence.
+
+    Rejects empty name/branch, de-dupes by branch, preserves the declared
+    order. Returns None for None/empty so the column stays null (the shim
+    synthesizes the degenerate ladder from ``default_branch`` at read time).
+    """
+    rungs = _coerce_rungs(value)
+    if not rungs:
+        return None
+    seen: set[str] = set()
+    out: list[dict[str, str]] = []
+    for rung in rungs:
+        name = rung.name.strip()
+        branch = rung.branch.strip()
+        if not name or not branch:
+            raise ValueError(
+                "each environment rung needs a non-empty name and branch"
+            )
+        if branch in seen:
+            raise ValueError(
+                f"duplicate environment branch {branch!r}; "
+                "each rung must target a distinct branch"
+            )
+        seen.add(branch)
+        out.append({"name": name, "branch": branch})
+    return out
+
diff --git a/roboco/models/project.py b/roboco/models/project.py
index bf48ffb1..3f1643b9 100644
--- a/roboco/models/project.py
+++ b/roboco/models/project.py
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ from uuid import UUID, uuid4
 from pydantic import Field, field_validator
 
 from roboco.models.base import RobocoBase, Team, TimestampMixin
+from roboco.models.env_branches import normalize_environments
 from roboco.models.sandbox import (
     SANDBOX_ENGINE_FEATURES,
     SANDBOX_ENGINES,
@@ -119,6 +120,26 @@ class Project(TimestampMixin):
         default_factory=lambda: ["main", "master"],
         description="Branches that cannot be pushed to directly",
     )
+    # Ordered environment ladder: index 0 = head (PR target / dev trunk),
+    # index -1 = prod (release target), middle = intermediates (qa/stag).
+    # null/empty → synthesized from default_branch as a degenerate single-
+    # branch ladder (head == prod == default_branch), so behavior is unchanged
+    # until the operator declares a real split in the panel.
+    environments: list[dict[str, str]] | None = Field(
+        default=None,
+        description=(
+            "Ordered environment ladder [{name, branch}]; first = head (PR "
+            "target), last = prod (release target). null → inherits "
+            "default_branch (head == prod). Validated by _check_environments."
+        ),
+    )
+
+    @field_validator("environments")
+    @classmethod
+    def _check_environments(
+        cls, v: list[dict[str, str]] | None
+    ) -> list[dict[str, str]] | None:
+        return normalize_environments(v)
 
     # CI/CD Commands (optional - project may not have all)
     test_command: str | None = Field(
@@ -239,6 +260,7 @@ class ProjectCreate(RobocoBase):
     git_url: str
     default_branch: str = "master"
     protected_branches: list[str] = Field(default_factory=lambda: ["main", "master"])
+    environments: list[dict[str, str]] | None = None
     assigned_cell: Team
 
     # Git authentication (will be encrypted and stored securely)
@@ -263,6 +285,7 @@ class ProjectUpdate(RobocoBase):
     git_url: str | None = None
     default_branch: str | None = None
     protected_branches: list[str] | None = None
+    environments: list[dict[str, str]] | None = None
 
     # Git authentication (empty string clears token, None leaves unchanged)
     git_token: str | None = Field(
@@ -298,3 +321,10 @@ class ProjectUpdate(RobocoBase):
         cls, v: dict[str, list[str]] | None
     ) -> dict[str, list[str]] | None:
         return _normalize_sandbox_extensions(v)
+
+    @field_validator("environments")
+    @classmethod
+    def _check_environments(
+        cls, v: list[dict[str, str]] | None
+    ) -> list[dict[str, str]] | None:
+        return normalize_environments(v)
diff --git a/roboco/services/project.py b/roboco/services/project.py
index d42a910d..951c074d 100644
--- a/roboco/services/project.py
+++ b/roboco/services/project.py
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ class ProjectService(BaseService):
             git_url=data.git_url,
             default_branch=data.default_branch,
             protected_branches=data.protected_branches,
+            environments=data.environments,
             assigned_cell=data.assigned_cell,
             git_token_encrypted=encrypted_token,
             test_command=data.test_command,