diff --git a/packages/lab-tool/lab/deploy-rs.scm b/packages/lab-tool/lab/deploy-rs.scm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1b558ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/lab-tool/lab/deploy-rs.scm
@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+;; lab/deploy-rs.scm - Deploy-rs based deployment operations (extracted)
+
+(define-module (lab deploy-rs)
+  #:use-module (ice-9 format)
+  #:use-module (ice-9 popen)
+  #:use-module (ice-9 textual-ports)
+  #:use-module (srfi srfi-1)
+  #:use-module (utils logging)
+  #:use-module (utils config)
+  #:export (deploy-machine-deploy-rs
+            deploy-all-machines-deploy-rs
+            deploy-with-rollback
+            option-ref))
+
+;; Helper function for option handling
+(define (option-ref options key default)
+  "Get option value with default fallback"
+  (let ((value (assoc-ref options key)))
+    (if value value default)))
+
+;; Main deployment function using deploy-rs
+(define (deploy-machine-deploy-rs machine-name . args)
+  "Deploy configuration to machine using deploy-rs (impure - has side effects)"
+  (let* ((mode (if (null? args) "default" (car args)))
+         (options (if (< (length args) 2) '() (cadr args)))
+         (dry-run (option-ref options 'dry-run #f))
+         (skip-checks (option-ref options 'skip-checks #f)))
+    
+    (if (not (validate-machine-name machine-name))
+        #f
+        (begin
+          (log-info "Starting deploy-rs deployment: ~a" machine-name)
+          (execute-deploy-rs machine-name mode options)))))
+
+;; Execute deploy-rs deployment
+(define (execute-deploy-rs machine-name mode options)
+  "Execute deployment using deploy-rs with automatic rollback"
+  (let* ((homelab-root (get-homelab-root))
+         (dry-run (option-ref options 'dry-run #f))
+         (skip-checks (option-ref options 'skip-checks #f))
+         (auto-rollback (option-ref options 'auto-rollback #t))
+         (magic-rollback (option-ref options 'magic-rollback #t)))
+    
+    (log-info "Deploying ~a using deploy-rs..." machine-name)
+    
+    (if dry-run
+        (begin
+          (log-info "DRY RUN: Would execute deploy-rs for ~a" machine-name)
+          (log-info "Command would be: deploy '.#~a'" machine-name)
+          #t)
+        (let* ((deploy-cmd (build-deploy-command machine-name skip-checks auto-rollback magic-rollback))
+               (start-time (current-time)))
+          
+          (log-info "Deploy command: ~a" deploy-cmd)
+          (log-info "Executing deployment with automatic rollback protection...")
+          
+          (let* ((port (open-pipe* OPEN_READ "/bin/sh" "-c" deploy-cmd))
+                 (output (get-string-all port))
+                 (status (close-pipe port))
+                 (elapsed (- (current-time) start-time)))
+            
+            (if (zero? status)
+                (begin
+                  (log-success "Deploy-rs deployment completed successfully in ~as" elapsed)
+                  (log-info "Deployment output:")
+                  (log-info "~a" output)
+                  #t)
+                (begin
+                  (log-error "Deploy-rs deployment failed (exit: ~a)" status)
+                  (log-error "Error output:")
+                  (log-error "~a" output)
+                  (log-info "Deploy-rs automatic rollback should have been triggered")
+                  #f)))))))
+
+;; Build deploy-rs command with options
+(define (build-deploy-command machine-name skip-checks auto-rollback magic-rollback)
+  "Build the deploy-rs command with appropriate flags"
+  (let ((base-cmd (format #f "cd ~a && deploy '.#~a'" (get-homelab-root) machine-name))
+        (flags '()))
+    
+    ;; Add flags based on options
+    (when skip-checks
+      (set! flags (cons "--skip-checks" flags)))
+    
+    (when auto-rollback
+      (set! flags (cons "--auto-rollback=true" flags)))
+    
+    (when magic-rollback
+      (set! flags (cons "--magic-rollback=true" flags)))
+    
+    ;; Combine command with flags
+    (if (null? flags)
+        base-cmd
+        (format #f "~a ~a" base-cmd (string-join (reverse flags) " ")))))
+
+;; Deploy to all machines
+(define (deploy-all-machines-deploy-rs . args)
+  "Deploy to all machines using deploy-rs"
+  (let* ((options (if (null? args) '() (car args)))
+         (dry-run (option-ref options 'dry-run #f))
+         (machines (get-all-machines)))
+    
+    (log-info "Starting deployment to all machines (~a total)" (length machines))
+    
+    (let ((results 
+           (map (lambda (machine)
+                  (log-info "Deploying to ~a..." machine)
+                  (let ((result (deploy-machine-deploy-rs machine "default" options)))
+                    (if result
+                        (log-success "✓ ~a deployed successfully" machine)
+                        (log-error "✗ ~a deployment failed" machine))
+                    (cons machine result)))
+                machines)))
+      
+      ;; Summary
+      (let ((successful (filter cdr results))
+            (failed (filter (lambda (r) (not (cdr r))) results)))
+        (log-info "Deployment summary:")
+        (log-info "  Successful: ~a/~a machines" (length successful) (length machines))
+        (when (not (null? failed))
+          (log-error "  Failed: ~a" (string-join (map car failed) ", ")))
+        
+        ;; Return true if all succeeded
+        (= (length successful) (length machines))))))
+
+;; Deploy with explicit rollback testing
+(define (deploy-with-rollback machine-name . args)
+  "Deploy with explicit rollback capability testing"
+  (let* ((options (if (null? args) '() (car args)))
+         (test-rollback (option-ref options 'test-rollback #f)))
+    
+    (log-info "Deploying ~a with rollback testing..." machine-name)
+    
+    (if test-rollback
+        (begin
+          (log-info "Testing rollback mechanism (deploy will be reverted)")
+          ;; Deploy with magic rollback disabled to test manual rollback
+          (let ((modified-options (cons '(magic-rollback . #f) options)))
+            (execute-deploy-rs machine-name "default" modified-options)))
+        (execute-deploy-rs machine-name "default" options))))
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/lab-tool/lab/deployment.scm b/packages/lab-tool/lab/deployment.scm
index fedb748..edf06c3 100644
--- a/packages/lab-tool/lab/deployment.scm
+++ b/packages/lab-tool/lab/deployment.scm
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-;; lab/deployment.scm - Deploy-rs based deployment operations
+;; lab/deployment.scm - Unified deployment operations (SSH + rsync by default)
 
 (define-module (lab deployment)
   #:use-module (ice-9 format)
@@ -7,162 +7,61 @@
   #:use-module (srfi srfi-1)
   #:use-module (utils logging)
   #:use-module (utils config)
+  #:use-module (lab ssh-deploy)
+  #:use-module (lab deploy-rs)
   #:export (deploy-machine
             update-flake
             deploy-all-machines
             deploy-with-rollback
             option-ref))
 
-;; Helper function for option handling
+;; Helper function for option handling (re-exported from ssh-deploy)
 (define (option-ref options key default)
   "Get option value with default fallback"
   (let ((value (assoc-ref options key)))
     (if value value default)))
 
-;; Main deployment function using deploy-rs
+;; Main deployment function - SSH by default, deploy-rs optional
 (define (deploy-machine machine-name . args)
-  "Deploy configuration to machine using deploy-rs (impure - has side effects)"
+  "Deploy configuration to machine using SSH + rsync (default) or deploy-rs (optional)"
   (let* ((mode (if (null? args) "default" (car args)))
          (options (if (< (length args) 2) '() (cadr args)))
-         (dry-run (option-ref options 'dry-run #f))
-         (skip-checks (option-ref options 'skip-checks #f)))
+         (use-deploy-rs (option-ref options 'use-deploy-rs #f)))
     
     (if (not (validate-machine-name machine-name))
         #f
-        (begin
-          (log-info "Starting deploy-rs deployment: ~a" machine-name)
-          (execute-deploy-rs machine-name mode options)))))
+        (if use-deploy-rs
+            (begin
+              (log-info "Using deploy-rs deployment method")
+              (deploy-machine-deploy-rs machine-name mode options))
+            (begin
+              (log-info "Using SSH + rsync deployment method")
+              (deploy-machine-ssh machine-name mode options))))))
 
-;; Execute deploy-rs deployment
-(define (execute-deploy-rs machine-name mode options)
-  "Execute deployment using deploy-rs with automatic rollback"
-  (let* ((homelab-root (get-homelab-root))
-         (dry-run (option-ref options 'dry-run #f))
-         (skip-checks (option-ref options 'skip-checks #f))
-         (auto-rollback (option-ref options 'auto-rollback #t))
-         (magic-rollback (option-ref options 'magic-rollback #t)))
-    
-    (log-info "Deploying ~a using deploy-rs..." machine-name)
-    
-    (if dry-run
-        (begin
-          (log-info "DRY RUN: Would execute deploy-rs for ~a" machine-name)
-          (log-info "Command would be: deploy '.#~a'" machine-name)
-          #t)
-        (let* ((deploy-cmd (build-deploy-command machine-name skip-checks auto-rollback magic-rollback))
-               (start-time (current-time)))
-          
-          (log-info "Deploy command: ~a" deploy-cmd)
-          (log-info "Executing deployment with automatic rollback protection...")
-          
-          (let* ((port (open-pipe* OPEN_READ "/bin/sh" "-c" deploy-cmd))
-                 (output (get-string-all port))
-                 (status (close-pipe port))
-                 (elapsed (- (current-time) start-time)))
-            
-            (if (zero? status)
-                (begin
-                  (log-success "Deploy-rs deployment completed successfully in ~as" elapsed)
-                  (log-info "Deployment output:")
-                  (log-info "~a" output)
-                  #t)
-                (begin
-                  (log-error "Deploy-rs deployment failed (exit: ~a)" status)
-                  (log-error "Error output:")
-                  (log-error "~a" output)
-                  (log-info "Deploy-rs automatic rollback should have been triggered")
-                  #f)))))))
-
-;; Build deploy-rs command with options
-(define (build-deploy-command machine-name skip-checks auto-rollback magic-rollback)
-  "Build the deploy-rs command with appropriate flags"
-  (let ((base-cmd (format #f "cd ~a && deploy '.#~a'" (get-homelab-root) machine-name))
-        (flags '()))
-    
-    ;; Add flags based on options
-    (when skip-checks
-      (set! flags (cons "--skip-checks" flags)))
-    
-    (when auto-rollback
-      (set! flags (cons "--auto-rollback=true" flags)))
-    
-    (when magic-rollback
-      (set! flags (cons "--magic-rollback=true" flags)))
-    
-    ;; Combine command with flags
-    (if (null? flags)
-        base-cmd
-        (format #f "~a ~a" base-cmd (string-join (reverse flags) " ")))))
-
-;; Deploy to all machines
+;; Deploy to all machines - delegate to appropriate module
 (define (deploy-all-machines . args)
-  "Deploy to all machines using deploy-rs"
+  "Deploy to all machines using SSH + rsync (default) or deploy-rs (optional)"
   (let* ((options (if (null? args) '() (car args)))
-         (dry-run (option-ref options 'dry-run #f))
-         (machines (get-all-machines)))
+         (use-deploy-rs (option-ref options 'use-deploy-rs #f)))
     
-    (log-info "Starting deployment to all machines (~a total)" (length machines))
-    
-    (let ((results 
-           (map (lambda (machine)
-                  (log-info "Deploying to ~a..." machine)
-                  (let ((result (deploy-machine machine "default" options)))
-                    (if result
-                        (log-success "✓ ~a deployed successfully" machine)
-                        (log-error "✗ ~a deployment failed" machine))
-                    (cons machine result)))
-                machines)))
-      
-      ;; Summary
-      (let ((successful (filter cdr results))
-            (failed (filter (lambda (r) (not (cdr r))) results)))
-        (log-info "Deployment summary:")
-        (log-info "  Successful: ~a/~a machines" (length successful) (length machines))
-        (when (not (null? failed))
-          (log-error "  Failed: ~a" (string-join (map car failed) ", ")))
-        
-        ;; Return true if all succeeded
-        (= (length successful) (length machines))))))
+    (if use-deploy-rs
+        (begin
+          (log-info "Using deploy-rs for all machines")
+          (deploy-all-machines-deploy-rs options))
+        (begin
+          (log-info "Using SSH + rsync for all machines")
+          (deploy-all-machines-ssh options)))))
 
-;; Deploy with explicit rollback testing
+;; Deploy with rollback testing - only available with deploy-rs
 (define (deploy-with-rollback machine-name . args)
-  "Deploy with explicit rollback capability testing"
+  "Deploy with explicit rollback capability testing (deploy-rs only)"
   (let* ((options (if (null? args) '() (car args)))
-         (test-rollback (option-ref options 'test-rollback #f)))
+         (modified-options (cons '(use-deploy-rs . #t) options)))
     
-    (log-info "Deploying ~a with rollback testing..." machine-name)
-    
-    (if test-rollback
-        (begin
-          (log-info "Testing rollback mechanism (deploy will be reverted)")
-          ;; Deploy with magic rollback disabled to test manual rollback
-          (let ((modified-options (cons '(magic-rollback . #f) options)))
-            (execute-deploy-rs machine-name "default" modified-options)))
-        (execute-deploy-rs machine-name "default" options))))
+    (log-info "Rollback testing requires deploy-rs - switching to deploy-rs mode")
+    (deploy-with-rollback machine-name modified-options)))
 
-;; Update flake inputs (moved from old deployment module)
-(define (update-flake . args)
+;; Update flake inputs - delegate to ssh-deploy module  
+(define update-flake
   "Update flake inputs (impure - has side effects)"
-  (let* ((options (if (null? args) '() (car args)))
-         (dry-run (option-ref options 'dry-run #f)))
-    
-    (log-info "Updating flake inputs...")
-    
-    (if dry-run
-        (begin
-          (log-info "DRY RUN: Would execute: nix flake update")
-          #t)
-        (let* ((homelab-root (get-homelab-root))
-               (update-cmd (format #f "cd ~a && nix flake update" homelab-root))
-               (port (open-pipe* OPEN_READ "/bin/sh" "-c" update-cmd))
-               (output (get-string-all port))
-               (status (close-pipe port)))
-          
-          (if (zero? status)
-              (begin
-                (log-success "Flake inputs updated successfully")
-                #t)
-              (begin
-                (log-error "Flake update failed (exit: ~a)" status)
-                (log-error "Error output: ~a" output)
-                #f))))))
+  (@ (lab ssh-deploy) update-flake))
diff --git a/packages/lab-tool/lab/ssh-deploy.scm b/packages/lab-tool/lab/ssh-deploy.scm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ae82a92
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/lab-tool/lab/ssh-deploy.scm
@@ -0,0 +1,198 @@
+;; lab/ssh-deploy.scm - SSH + rsync + nixos-rebuild deployment operations
+
+(define-module (lab ssh-deploy)
+  #:use-module (ice-9 format)
+  #:use-module (ice-9 popen)
+  #:use-module (ice-9 textual-ports)
+  #:use-module (srfi srfi-1)
+  #:use-module (utils logging)
+  #:use-module (utils config)
+  #:use-module (utils ssh)
+  #:export (deploy-machine-ssh
+            deploy-all-machines-ssh
+            update-flake
+            sync-config-to-machine
+            option-ref))
+
+;; Helper function for option handling
+(define (option-ref options key default)
+  "Get option value with default fallback"
+  (let ((value (assoc-ref options key)))
+    (if value value default)))
+
+;; Main SSH deployment function
+(define (deploy-machine-ssh machine-name . args)
+  "Deploy configuration to machine using SSH + rsync + nixos-rebuild"
+  (let* ((mode (if (null? args) "default" (car args)))
+         (options (if (< (length args) 2) '() (cadr args)))
+         (dry-run (option-ref options 'dry-run #f))
+         (boot-mode (option-ref options 'boot #f)))
+    
+    (if (not (validate-machine-name machine-name))
+        #f
+        (begin
+          (log-info "Starting SSH deployment: ~a" machine-name)
+          (execute-ssh-deploy machine-name mode options)))))
+
+;; Execute SSH-based deployment
+(define (execute-ssh-deploy machine-name mode options)
+  "Execute deployment using SSH + rsync + nixos-rebuild"
+  (let* ((homelab-root (get-homelab-root))
+         (dry-run (option-ref options 'dry-run #f))
+         (boot-mode (option-ref options 'boot #f))
+         (test-mode (option-ref options 'test #f))
+         (remote-path "/tmp/home-lab-config"))
+    
+    (log-info "Deploying ~a using SSH + rsync + nixos-rebuild..." machine-name)
+    
+    (if dry-run
+        (begin
+          (log-info "DRY RUN: Would sync config and rebuild ~a" machine-name)
+          (log-info "Would execute: rsync + nixos-rebuild --flake /tmp/home-lab-config#~a" machine-name)
+          #t)
+        (let ((start-time (current-time)))
+          
+          ;; Step 1: Sync configuration to remote machine
+          (log-info "Step 1: Syncing configuration to ~a:~a" machine-name remote-path)
+          (if (sync-config-to-machine machine-name remote-path)
+              ;; Step 2: Execute nixos-rebuild on remote machine
+              (begin
+                (log-info "Step 2: Executing nixos-rebuild on ~a" machine-name)
+                (execute-remote-rebuild machine-name remote-path boot-mode test-mode start-time))
+              (begin
+                (log-error "Failed to sync configuration to ~a" machine-name)
+                #f))))))
+
+;; Sync configuration to remote machine
+(define (sync-config-to-machine machine-name remote-path)
+  "Sync Home-lab configuration to remote machine using rsync"
+  (let* ((homelab-root (get-homelab-root))
+         (ssh-config (get-ssh-config machine-name)))
+    
+    (if (not ssh-config)
+        (begin
+          (log-error "No SSH configuration found for ~a" machine-name)
+          #f)
+        (if (assoc-ref ssh-config 'is-local)
+            ;; Local "sync" - just ensure path exists
+            (begin
+              (log-debug "Local machine ~a, copying to ~a" machine-name remote-path)
+              (let* ((cp-cmd (format #f "sudo mkdir -p ~a && sudo cp -r ~a/* ~a/" 
+                                     remote-path homelab-root remote-path))
+                     (status (system cp-cmd)))
+                (if (zero? status)
+                    (begin
+                      (log-debug "Local configuration copied successfully")
+                      #t)
+                    (begin
+                      (log-error "Local configuration copy failed (exit: ~a)" status)
+                      #f))))
+            ;; Remote sync using rsync
+            (let* ((hostname (assoc-ref ssh-config 'hostname))
+                   (ssh-alias (assoc-ref ssh-config 'ssh-alias))
+                   (user (assoc-ref ssh-config 'user))
+                   (identity-file (assoc-ref ssh-config 'identity-file))
+                   (target (if user (format #f "~a@~a" user (or ssh-alias hostname)) (or ssh-alias hostname)))
+                   (key-arg (if identity-file (format #f "-i ~a" identity-file) ""))
+                   (rsync-cmd (format #f "rsync -avz --delete -e 'ssh ~a' ~a/ ~a:~a/" 
+                                      key-arg homelab-root target remote-path)))
+              
+              (log-debug "Rsync command: ~a" rsync-cmd)
+              (let* ((port (open-pipe* OPEN_READ "/bin/sh" "-c" rsync-cmd))
+                     (output (get-string-all port))
+                     (status (close-pipe port)))
+                
+                (if (zero? status)
+                    (begin
+                      (log-debug "Configuration synced successfully")
+                      (log-debug "Rsync output: ~a" output)
+                      #t)
+                    (begin
+                      (log-error "Configuration sync failed (exit: ~a)" status)
+                      (log-error "Rsync error: ~a" output)
+                      #f))))))))
+
+;; Execute nixos-rebuild on remote machine
+(define (execute-remote-rebuild machine-name remote-path boot-mode test-mode start-time)
+  "Execute nixos-rebuild on the remote machine"
+  (let* ((rebuild-mode (cond
+                        (test-mode "test")
+                        (boot-mode "boot") 
+                        (else "switch")))
+         (rebuild-cmd (format #f "sudo nixos-rebuild ~a --flake ~a#~a" 
+                              rebuild-mode remote-path machine-name)))
+    
+    (log-info "Executing: ~a" rebuild-cmd)
+    
+    (call-with-values
+        (lambda () (run-remote-command machine-name rebuild-cmd))
+      (lambda (success output)
+        (let ((elapsed (- (current-time) start-time)))
+          (if success
+              (begin
+                (log-success "SSH deployment completed successfully in ~as" elapsed)
+                (log-info "Rebuild output:")
+                (log-info "~a" output)
+                #t)
+              (begin
+                (log-error "SSH deployment failed (exit code indicates failure)")
+                (log-error "Rebuild error output:")
+                (log-error "~a" output)
+                #f)))))))
+
+;; Deploy to all machines using SSH
+(define (deploy-all-machines-ssh . args)
+  "Deploy to all machines using SSH + rsync + nixos-rebuild"
+  (let* ((options (if (null? args) '() (car args)))
+         (dry-run (option-ref options 'dry-run #f))
+         (machines (get-all-machines)))
+    
+    (log-info "Starting SSH deployment to all machines (~a total)" (length machines))
+    
+    (let ((results 
+           (map (lambda (machine)
+                  (log-info "Deploying to ~a..." machine)
+                  (let ((result (deploy-machine-ssh machine "default" options)))
+                    (if result
+                        (log-success "✓ ~a deployed successfully" machine)
+                        (log-error "✗ ~a deployment failed" machine))
+                    (cons machine result)))
+                machines)))
+      
+      ;; Summary
+      (let ((successful (filter cdr results))
+            (failed (filter (lambda (r) (not (cdr r))) results)))
+        (log-info "SSH deployment summary:")
+        (log-info "  Successful: ~a/~a machines" (length successful) (length machines))
+        (when (not (null? failed))
+          (log-error "  Failed: ~a" (string-join (map car failed) ", ")))
+        
+        ;; Return true if all succeeded
+        (= (length successful) (length machines))))))
+
+;; Update flake inputs
+(define (update-flake . args)
+  "Update flake inputs (impure - has side effects)"
+  (let* ((options (if (null? args) '() (car args)))
+         (dry-run (option-ref options 'dry-run #f)))
+    
+    (log-info "Updating flake inputs...")
+    
+    (if dry-run
+        (begin
+          (log-info "DRY RUN: Would execute: nix flake update")
+          #t)
+        (let* ((homelab-root (get-homelab-root))
+               (update-cmd (format #f "cd ~a && nix flake update" homelab-root))
+               (port (open-pipe* OPEN_READ "/bin/sh" "-c" update-cmd))
+               (output (get-string-all port))
+               (status (close-pipe port)))
+          
+          (if (zero? status)
+              (begin
+                (log-success "Flake inputs updated successfully")
+                #t)
+              (begin
+                (log-error "Flake update failed (exit: ~a)" status)
+                (log-error "Error output: ~a" output)
+                #f))))))
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/lab-tool/main.scm b/packages/lab-tool/main.scm
index 15803b6..c1b2583 100755
--- a/packages/lab-tool/main.scm
+++ b/packages/lab-tool/main.scm
@@ -22,49 +22,55 @@
 ;; Pure function: Command help text
 (define (get-help-text)
   "Pure function returning help text"
-  "Home Lab Tool - Deploy-rs Edition
+  "Home Lab Tool - SSH + Rsync Edition
 
 USAGE: lab <command> [args...]
 
 COMMANDS:
   status              Show infrastructure status
   machines            List all machines
-  deploy <machine> [options]  Deploy configuration to machine using deploy-rs
-                      Options: --dry-run, --skip-checks
-  deploy-all [options]        Deploy to all machines using deploy-rs
+  deploy <machine> [options]  Deploy configuration to machine using SSH + rsync + nixos-rebuild
+                      Options: --dry-run, --boot, --test, --use-deploy-rs
+  deploy-all [options]        Deploy to all machines using SSH + rsync + nixos-rebuild
   update              Update flake inputs
   auto-update         Perform automatic system update with health checks
   auto-update-status  Show auto-update service status and logs
   health [machine]    Check machine health (all if no machine specified)
   ssh <machine>       SSH to machine (using sma user)
-  test-rollback <machine>     Test deployment with rollback
+  test-rollback <machine>     Test deployment with rollback (uses deploy-rs)
   help                Show this help
 
 EXAMPLES:
   lab status
   lab machines
-  lab deploy congenital-optimist           # Deploy with deploy-rs safety
-  lab deploy sleeper-service --dry-run     # Test deployment without applying
-  lab deploy grey-area --skip-checks       # Deploy without health checks
+  lab deploy little-rascal                # Deploy with SSH + rsync (default)
+  lab deploy little-rascal --dry-run      # Test deployment without applying
+  lab deploy little-rascal --boot         # Deploy but only activate on next boot
+  lab deploy little-rascal --test         # Deploy but don't make permanent
+  lab deploy little-rascal --use-deploy-rs # Use deploy-rs instead of SSH method
   lab deploy-all                          # Deploy to all machines
   lab deploy-all --dry-run                # Test deployment to all machines
   lab update                              # Update flake inputs
-  lab test-rollback sleeper-service       # Test rollback functionality
+  lab test-rollback sleeper-service       # Test rollback functionality (deploy-rs)
   lab ssh sleeper-service                 # SSH to machine as sma user
 
-Deploy-rs Features:
+SSH + Rsync Features (Default):
+- Fast: Only syncs changed files with rsync
+- Simple: Uses standard nixos-rebuild workflow
+- Reliable: Same command workflow as manual deployment
+- Flexible: Supports boot, test, and switch modes
+
+Deploy-rs Features (Optional with --use-deploy-rs):
 - Automatic rollback on deployment failure
 - Health checks after deployment
 - Magic rollback for network connectivity issues
 - Atomic deployments with safety guarantees
-- Consistent sma user for all deployments
 
-This implementation uses deploy-rs for all deployments:
-- Robust: Automatic rollback protection
-- Safe: Health checks and validation
-- Consistent: Same deployment method for all machines
-- Flexible: Dry-run and skip-checks options available
-")
+This implementation uses SSH + rsync + nixos-rebuild by default:
+- Fast: Efficient file synchronization
+- Simple: Standard NixOS deployment workflow
+- Consistent: Same user (sma) for all operations
+- Flexible: Multiple deployment modes available"
 
 ;; Pure function: Format machine list
 (define (format-machine-list machines)
@@ -323,4 +329,4 @@ Home lab root: ~a
 
 ;; Run main function if script is executed directly
 (when (and (defined? 'command-line) (not (null? (command-line))))
-  (main (command-line)))
\ No newline at end of file
+  (main (command-line))))