diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 544fa056..ab3a4ffd 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -851,6 +851,78 @@ Open **DevOps → Anti-DDoS protection**
 
 ---
 
+## Captcha (Cloudflare Turnstile)
+
+The **register**, **login**, **forgot-password** and **resend-verification**
+forms can be protected by a captcha. **Cloudflare Turnstile** is the supported
+provider and is free; reCAPTCHA and hCaptcha are also wired up. If you only
+read one thing, read the precedence table below.
+
+### Where the captcha is configured (and who wins)
+
+There are two places, and the **admin panel always wins**:
+
+1. **Admin panel** — *Admin → CMS Settings → Captcha* (stored in the database).
+2. **Environment variables** — used **only** as a fallback when the admin panel
+   has no value.
+
+Resolution order, highest first:
+
+| Admin panel `captcha_provider` | Env `CAPTCHA_PROVIDER` | What happens |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| `turnstile` | anything | **Turnstile** (panel wins) |
+| `none` (set explicitly) | `turnstile` | **Off** — an explicit panel value wins |
+| *empty / never set* | `turnstile` | **Turnstile** (env fallback) |
+| *empty / never set* | *empty / never set* | **Off** |
+
+In short: **enable it in the admin panel and the env vars are ignored; leave the
+panel empty and the env vars take over.** An explicit `none` in the panel turns
+the captcha **off** even when `CAPTCHA_PROVIDER=turnstile` is set.
+
+### Option A — configure with environment variables (per deploy)
+
+1. Create a Turnstile widget in the
+   [Cloudflare dashboard](https://dash.cloudflare.com/?to=/:account/turnstile):
+   **Add widget**, name it, and add the hostnames your hotel is served on
+   (e.g. `epicnabbo.nl`, `www.epicnabbo.nl`). *Managed* mode is fine. Copy the
+   **Site Key** and the **Secret Key**.
+2. Put them in your real `.env` (never commit this file):
+
+   ```dotenv
+   CAPTCHA_PROVIDER=turnstile
+   TURNSTILE_SITE_KEY=<your site key>       # public — safe to expose
+   TURNSTILE_SECRET_KEY=<your secret key>   # SECRET — server-side only
+   ```
+
+   - The **site key** is **public**: it is rendered into the page for the
+     browser.
+   - The **secret key** is **secret**: only the server uses it to call
+     Cloudflare's `siteverify` endpoint. **Never commit it** — keep it in the
+     host `.env`, or a **masked CI/CD variable** if you deploy from CI.
+3. Restart the container so the new env is picked up.
+
+### Option B — configure in the admin panel
+
+**Admin → CMS Settings → Captcha**: pick the provider and paste the site key and
+secret. This overrides the env vars and takes effect **without a restart**.
+
+### Verify
+
+- Open `/register`. When active, the Turnstile widget appears above the submit
+  button.
+- The e2e suite can assert the widget contract:
+  `E2E_EXPECT_CAPTCHA=turnstile pnpm test:e2e` (spec: `e2e/register.spec.ts`).
+
+### Notes
+
+- **Fail-closed**: if the provider is Turnstile but no secret key is available,
+  verification fails and the form is blocked — it never silently lets bots in.
+- The Content-Security-Policy already allows `https://challenges.cloudflare.com`
+  (`src/lib/csp.ts`), so no header changes are needed.
+- Turnstile does **not** require the Cloudflare proxy (orange cloud); it works
+  independently of the anti-DDoS layer above.
+
+---
 
 ## Production Deployment (blue/green)
 
@@ -1181,6 +1253,13 @@ pnpm jobs:worker    # or: npm run jobs:worker / yarn jobs:worker
 
 Optional OpenAI-powered moderation for comments and guestbook posts. Set `OPENAI_API_KEY`.
 
+### Captcha — Cloudflare Turnstile
+
+Protect the register, login, forgot-password and resend-verification forms.
+Set `CAPTCHA_PROVIDER=turnstile` plus the Turnstile keys in `.env`, or configure
+it in **Admin → CMS Settings**. Full setup, precedence and verification:
+[Captcha (Cloudflare Turnstile)](#captcha-cloudflare-turnstile).
+
 ### Byparr (Cloudflare Bypass)
 
 Some clone sources are protected by Cloudflare. Byparr (a FlareSolverr successor) solves these challenges automatically.