diff --git a/app/ingest/dmesg_log.py b/app/ingest/dmesg_log.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..84058aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/ingest/dmesg_log.py
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+"""dmesg log parser.
+
+Handles two formats:
+
+Relative (always available):
+    [    0.000000] Linux version 6.8.0-65-generic
+    [12345.678901] usb 1-1: USB disconnect, device number 2
+
+Human-readable (dmesg -T, util-linux >= 2.21):
+    [Mon May 11 14:23:01 2026] usb 1-1: USB disconnect, device number 2
+
+The export_journal.sh script exports with -T when available, falling back
+to plain dmesg. Relative-timestamp entries get no timestamp_iso.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import re
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
+from typing import Iterator
+
+from app.ingest.base import (
+    SourceState, apply_patterns, detect_severity, make_entry_id, now_iso,
+)
+from app.services.models import LogPattern, RetrievedEntry
+
+_DAYS = {"Mon", "Tue", "Wed", "Thu", "Fri", "Sat", "Sun"}
+_MONTHS_ABBR = {
+    "Jan": 1, "Feb": 2, "Mar": 3, "Apr": 4, "May": 5, "Jun": 6,
+    "Jul": 7, "Aug": 8, "Sep": 9, "Oct": 10, "Nov": 11, "Dec": 12,
+}
+
+# [    0.000000] or [12345.678901]
+_RELATIVE_RE = re.compile(r"^\[\s*(?P<secs>\d+\.\d+)\]\s+(?P<msg>.+)$")
+# [Mon May 11 14:23:01 2026]
+_HUMAN_RE = re.compile(
+    r"^\[(?P<dow>\w{3})\s+(?P<month>\w{3})\s+(?P<day>\d{1,2})"
+    r"\s+(?P<time>\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2})\s+(?P<year>\d{4})\]\s+(?P<msg>.+)$"
+)
+
+
+def is_dmesg_log(first_line: str) -> bool:
+    line = first_line.strip()
+    return bool(_RELATIVE_RE.match(line) or _HUMAN_RE.match(line))
+
+
+def _parse_human_ts(m: re.Match) -> tuple[str, str]:
+    ts_raw = f"{m.group('dow')} {m.group('month')} {m.group('day')} {m.group('time')} {m.group('year')}"
+    month = _MONTHS_ABBR.get(m.group("month"), 1)
+    try:
+        dt = datetime(
+            int(m.group("year")), month, int(m.group("day")),
+            *[int(p) for p in m.group("time").split(":")],
+            tzinfo=timezone.utc,
+        )
+        return ts_raw, dt.isoformat()
+    except ValueError:
+        return ts_raw, ""
+
+
+def parse(
+    lines: Iterator[str],
+    source_id: str,
+    compiled_patterns: list[tuple[LogPattern, object]],
+    ingest_time: str | None = None,
+) -> Iterator[RetrievedEntry]:
+    ingest_time = ingest_time or now_iso()
+    state = SourceState()
+
+    for raw_line in lines:
+        line = raw_line.rstrip("\n").strip()
+        if not line:
+            continue
+
+        m = _HUMAN_RE.match(line)
+        if m:
+            ts_raw, ts_iso = _parse_human_ts(m)
+            msg = m.group("msg")
+        else:
+            m = _RELATIVE_RE.match(line)
+            if not m:
+                continue
+            ts_raw = f"[{m.group('secs')}]"
+            ts_iso = ""
+            msg = m.group("msg")
+
+        severity = detect_severity(msg)
+        repeat, out_of_order = state.observe(msg, ts_iso or None)
+        matched = apply_patterns(msg, compiled_patterns)
+
+        yield RetrievedEntry(
+            entry_id=make_entry_id(source_id, state.sequence, msg),
+            source_id=source_id,
+            sequence=state.sequence,
+            timestamp_raw=ts_raw,
+            timestamp_iso=ts_iso,
+            ingest_time=ingest_time,
+            severity=severity,
+            repeat_count=repeat,
+            out_of_order=out_of_order,
+            matched_patterns=matched,
+            text=msg,
+        )
diff --git a/app/ingest/pipeline.py b/app/ingest/pipeline.py
index ea58e65..bddaf43 100644
--- a/app/ingest/pipeline.py
+++ b/app/ingest/pipeline.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ from typing import Iterator
 
 import yaml
 
-from app.ingest import caddy, docker_log, journald, plaintext, plex, qbittorrent, servarr
+from app.ingest import caddy, dmesg_log, docker_log, journald, plaintext, plex, qbittorrent, servarr, syslog
 from app.ingest.base import _compile, load_patterns, now_iso
 from app.services.models import LogPattern, RetrievedEntry
 from app.services.search import build_fts_index
@@ -99,6 +99,10 @@ def _detect_format(first_line: str) -> str:
         return "qbittorrent"
     if servarr.is_servarr_log(first_line):
         return "servarr"
+    if dmesg_log.is_dmesg_log(first_line):
+        return "dmesg"
+    if syslog.is_syslog(first_line):
+        return "syslog"
     return "plaintext"
 
 
@@ -136,6 +140,10 @@ def _parse_file(
             yield from qbittorrent.parse(all_lines(), source_id, compiled, ingest_time)
         elif fmt == "servarr":
             yield from servarr.parse(all_lines(), source_id, compiled, ingest_time)
+        elif fmt == "dmesg":
+            yield from dmesg_log.parse(all_lines(), source_id, compiled, ingest_time)
+        elif fmt == "syslog":
+            yield from syslog.parse(all_lines(), source_id, compiled, ingest_time)
         else:
             yield from plaintext.parse(all_lines(), source_id, compiled, ingest_time)
 
diff --git a/app/ingest/syslog.py b/app/ingest/syslog.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f82cf06
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/ingest/syslog.py
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+"""Traditional syslog (RFC 3164) parser.
+
+Handles the format written by rsyslog and syslogd on most Linux distros:
+
+    May 11 14:23:01 hostname sshd[1234]: Accepted publickey for x from ...
+    May 11 14:23:01 hostname kernel: [12345.678] usb disconnect
+
+Files: /var/log/syslog (Debian/Ubuntu), /var/log/messages (RHEL/Fedora),
+       /var/log/auth.log, /var/log/kern.log
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import re
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
+from typing import Iterator
+
+from app.ingest.base import (
+    SourceState, apply_patterns, detect_severity, make_entry_id, now_iso,
+)
+from app.services.models import LogPattern, RetrievedEntry
+
+_MONTHS = {
+    "Jan": 1, "Feb": 2, "Mar": 3, "Apr": 4, "May": 5, "Jun": 6,
+    "Jul": 7, "Aug": 8, "Sep": 9, "Oct": 10, "Nov": 11, "Dec": 12,
+}
+
+# May 11 14:23:01 hostname ident[pid]: message
+# May  1 04:00:00 hostname ident: message   (no pid, day may be space-padded)
+_LINE_RE = re.compile(
+    r"^(?P<month>Jan|Feb|Mar|Apr|May|Jun|Jul|Aug|Sep|Oct|Nov|Dec)"
+    r"\s+(?P<day>\d{1,2})\s+(?P<time>\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2})"
+    r"\s+(?P<host>\S+)"
+    r"\s+(?P<ident>[^\[:\s]{1,48})(?:\[(?P<pid>\d+)\])?:\s*(?P<msg>.*)$"
+)
+
+
+def is_syslog(first_line: str) -> bool:
+    return bool(_LINE_RE.match(first_line.strip()))
+
+
+def _parse_ts(month_str: str, day: str, time_str: str) -> tuple[str, str]:
+    month = _MONTHS.get(month_str, 1)
+    year = datetime.now(timezone.utc).year
+    ts_raw = f"{month_str} {int(day):2d} {time_str}"
+    try:
+        dt = datetime(year, month, int(day),
+                      *[int(p) for p in time_str.split(":")],
+                      tzinfo=timezone.utc)
+        return ts_raw, dt.isoformat()
+    except ValueError:
+        return ts_raw, ""
+
+
+def parse(
+    lines: Iterator[str],
+    source_id: str,
+    compiled_patterns: list[tuple[LogPattern, object]],
+    ingest_time: str | None = None,
+) -> Iterator[RetrievedEntry]:
+    ingest_time = ingest_time or now_iso()
+    state = SourceState()
+    pending_text: str | None = None
+    pending_meta: dict = {}
+
+    def _emit(text: str, meta: dict) -> RetrievedEntry:
+        repeat, out_of_order = state.observe(text, meta.get("ts_iso"))
+        matched = apply_patterns(text, compiled_patterns)
+        return RetrievedEntry(
+            entry_id=make_entry_id(source_id, state.sequence, text),
+            source_id=source_id,
+            sequence=state.sequence,
+            timestamp_raw=meta.get("ts_raw", ""),
+            timestamp_iso=meta.get("ts_iso", ""),
+            ingest_time=ingest_time,
+            severity=meta.get("severity"),
+            repeat_count=repeat,
+            out_of_order=out_of_order,
+            matched_patterns=matched,
+            text=text,
+        )
+
+    for raw_line in lines:
+        line = raw_line.rstrip("\n")
+        m = _LINE_RE.match(line)
+        if m:
+            if pending_text is not None:
+                yield _emit(pending_text, pending_meta)
+
+            ts_raw, ts_iso = _parse_ts(m.group("month"), m.group("day"), m.group("time"))
+            ident = m.group("ident").strip()
+            msg = m.group("msg")
+            text = f"[{ident}] {msg}" if ident else msg
+            severity = detect_severity(msg)
+            pending_meta = {"ts_raw": ts_raw, "ts_iso": ts_iso, "severity": severity}
+            pending_text = text
+        elif pending_text is not None:
+            pending_text += "\n" + line.strip()
+
+    if pending_text is not None:
+        yield _emit(pending_text, pending_meta)
diff --git a/patterns/sources.yaml b/patterns/sources.yaml
index 0bc89b5..2676a38 100644
--- a/patterns/sources.yaml
+++ b/patterns/sources.yaml
@@ -10,10 +10,30 @@
 # services that are temporarily down.
 
 sources:
-  # ── System journal (exported by export_journal.sh on the host) ────────────
+  # ── System (exported by export_journal.sh on the host) ───────────────────
+  # journal-export.jsonl and dmesg-export.txt are written to /opt/turnstone/data/
+  # by the export script before each ingest run.
   - id: system-journal
     path: /data/journal-export.jsonl
 
+  - id: dmesg
+    path: /data/dmesg-export.txt
+
+  # ── Syslog / rsyslog (direct file reads via /var/log bind mount) ──────────
+  # Uncomment the file(s) present on your system.
+  # Debian/Ubuntu:
+  # - id: syslog
+  #   path: /var/log/syslog
+  # - id: auth-log
+  #   path: /var/log/auth.log
+  # - id: kern-log
+  #   path: /var/log/kern.log
+  # RHEL/Fedora/Rocky:
+  # - id: messages
+  #   path: /var/log/messages
+  # - id: secure
+  #   path: /var/log/secure
+
   # ── Download ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
   - id: qbittorrent
     path: /opt/qbittorrent/config/data/logs/qbittorrent.log
diff --git a/scripts/export_journal.sh b/scripts/export_journal.sh
index 8493c1f..941ab70 100644
--- a/scripts/export_journal.sh
+++ b/scripts/export_journal.sh
@@ -1,16 +1,17 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-# Export recent journald entries to a JSONL file the Turnstone container can ingest.
+# Export recent system messages to files the Turnstone container can ingest.
 #
-# Run this on the HOST before the container ingest step. The output file lands in
-# /opt/turnstone/data/ which is bind-mounted at /data/ inside the container.
+# Exports:
+#   journal-export.jsonl  — journald (if journalctl is available)
+#   dmesg-export.txt      — kernel ring buffer (always)
 #
-# Priority filter 0-5 (emerg→notice) skips debug/info noise while keeping
-# all warnings, errors, and service lifecycle events.
+# Output files land in /opt/turnstone/data/ which is bind-mounted at /data/
+# inside the container.
 #
 # Usage (standalone):
 #   sudo bash /opt/turnstone/scripts/export_journal.sh
 #
-# Typical cron (combined with ingest — see crontab comment below):
+# Cron (combined with ingest):
 #   */15 * * * * bash /opt/turnstone/scripts/export_journal.sh && \
 #     podman exec turnstone python scripts/ingest_corpus.py \
 #       --sources /patterns/sources.yaml --db /data/turnstone.db \
@@ -18,15 +19,31 @@
 
 set -euo pipefail
 
-OUT=/opt/turnstone/data/journal-export.jsonl
+DATA_DIR=/opt/turnstone/data
 
+# ── journald ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 # 20-minute window (slightly wider than the 15-min cron interval) ensures no
-# gaps between runs. Ingest is idempotent via entry_id hash, so overlap is safe.
-journalctl \
-  --output=json \
-  --priority=0..5 \
-  --since "20 minutes ago" \
-  --no-pager \
-  > "${OUT}"
+# gaps between runs. Ingest deduplicates via entry_id hash so overlap is safe.
+if command -v journalctl &>/dev/null; then
+  journalctl \
+    --output=json \
+    --priority=0..5 \
+    --since "20 minutes ago" \
+    --no-pager \
+    > "${DATA_DIR}/journal-export.jsonl"
+  echo "journald: $(wc -l < "${DATA_DIR}/journal-export.jsonl") entries"
+else
+  # No journald — write an empty file so the sources.yaml entry doesn't warn
+  : > "${DATA_DIR}/journal-export.jsonl"
+  echo "journald: not available (skipped)"
+fi
 
-echo "Exported $(wc -l < "${OUT}") journal entries to ${OUT}"
+# ── dmesg ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# Use -T for human-readable timestamps when available (util-linux >= 2.21).
+# Fall back to plain dmesg if -T is not supported.
+if dmesg -T &>/dev/null; then
+  dmesg -T > "${DATA_DIR}/dmesg-export.txt"
+else
+  dmesg > "${DATA_DIR}/dmesg-export.txt"
+fi
+echo "dmesg: $(wc -l < "${DATA_DIR}/dmesg-export.txt") lines"
diff --git a/tests/test_ingest_dmesg.py b/tests/test_ingest_dmesg.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9e64c09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_ingest_dmesg.py
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+"""Tests for the dmesg log ingestor."""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from app.ingest.dmesg_log import is_dmesg_log, parse
+
+RELATIVE_SAMPLE = """\
+[    0.000000] Linux version 6.8.0-65-generic
+[    0.012345] Command line: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-6.8.0-65-generic
+[12345.678901] usb 1-1: USB disconnect, device number 2
+[12400.000000] EXT4-fs error (device sda1): ext4_find_entry: reading directory
+[12401.000000] Out of memory: Kill process 1234 (firefox) score 900
+"""
+
+HUMAN_SAMPLE = """\
+[Mon May 11 14:23:01 2026] Linux version 6.8.0-65-generic
+[Mon May 11 14:23:02 2026] usb 1-1: USB disconnect, device number 2
+[Mon May 11 14:24:00 2026] ata1: SATA link up 6.0 Gbps (SStatus 133 SControl 300)
+[Mon May 11 14:25:00 2026] Out of memory: Kill process 5678 (python3) score 800
+"""
+
+MIXED_SAMPLE = "[    0.000000] boot message\n[Mon May 11 14:23:01 2026] human ts message\n"
+
+
+class TestDetector:
+    def test_detects_relative(self):
+        assert is_dmesg_log("[    0.000000] Linux version 6.8.0")
+
+    def test_detects_relative_large_offset(self):
+        assert is_dmesg_log("[12345.678901] usb disconnect")
+
+    def test_detects_human_timestamp(self):
+        assert is_dmesg_log("[Mon May 11 14:23:01 2026] message")
+
+    def test_rejects_syslog(self):
+        assert not is_dmesg_log("May 11 14:23:01 hostname sshd[1234]: message")
+
+    def test_rejects_servarr(self):
+        assert not is_dmesg_log("2026-05-11 02:31:51.5|Info|Component|Message")
+
+    def test_rejects_plaintext(self):
+        assert not is_dmesg_log("just a plain log line")
+
+
+class TestRelativeParser:
+    def _parse(self, text: str) -> list:
+        return list(parse(iter(text.splitlines(keepends=True)), "dmesg_test", []))
+
+    def test_entry_count(self):
+        assert len(self._parse(RELATIVE_SAMPLE)) == 5
+
+    def test_relative_ts_raw_preserved(self):
+        entries = self._parse(RELATIVE_SAMPLE)
+        assert entries[0].timestamp_raw == "[0.000000]"
+
+    def test_relative_ts_iso_empty(self):
+        # No absolute time available from relative timestamps
+        entries = self._parse(RELATIVE_SAMPLE)
+        assert entries[0].timestamp_iso == ""
+
+    def test_message_text(self):
+        entries = self._parse(RELATIVE_SAMPLE)
+        assert "Linux version" in entries[0].text
+
+    def test_source_id_propagated(self):
+        assert all(e.source_id == "dmesg_test" for e in self._parse(RELATIVE_SAMPLE))
+
+    def test_sequence_is_monotonic(self):
+        entries = self._parse(RELATIVE_SAMPLE)
+        seqs = [e.sequence for e in entries]
+        assert seqs == sorted(seqs) and len(set(seqs)) == len(seqs)
+
+
+class TestHumanParser:
+    def _parse(self, text: str) -> list:
+        return list(parse(iter(text.splitlines(keepends=True)), "dmesg_human", []))
+
+    def test_entry_count(self):
+        assert len(self._parse(HUMAN_SAMPLE)) == 4
+
+    def test_timestamp_parsed(self):
+        entries = self._parse(HUMAN_SAMPLE)
+        assert entries[0].timestamp_iso == "2026-05-11T14:23:01+00:00"
+
+    def test_timestamp_raw(self):
+        entries = self._parse(HUMAN_SAMPLE)
+        assert "Mon May 11" in entries[0].timestamp_raw
+
+    def test_message_text(self):
+        entries = self._parse(HUMAN_SAMPLE)
+        assert "Linux version" in entries[0].text
diff --git a/tests/test_ingest_syslog.py b/tests/test_ingest_syslog.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0630745
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_ingest_syslog.py
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+"""Tests for the syslog (RFC 3164) ingestor."""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from app.ingest.syslog import is_syslog, parse
+
+SYSLOG_SAMPLE = """\
+May 11 14:23:01 example-node sshd[1234]: Accepted publickey for x from 192.168.1.1 port 54321 ssh2
+May 11 14:23:05 example-node sshd[1234]: Failed password for invalid user admin from 10.0.0.99 port 22 ssh2
+May 11 14:23:10 example-node sudo[5678]: x : TTY=pts/0 ; PWD=/home/x ; USER=root ; COMMAND=/usr/bin/apt update
+May 11 14:23:15 example-node kernel: [12345.678] usb 1-1: USB disconnect, device number 2
+May  1 04:00:00 example-node CRON[9999]: (root) CMD (/usr/local/sbin/backup.sh)
+May 11 14:24:00 example-node systemd[1]: Started NetworkManager.
+"""
+
+
+class TestDetector:
+    def test_detects_standard_line(self):
+        assert is_syslog("May 11 14:23:01 example-node sshd[1234]: message")
+
+    def test_detects_no_pid(self):
+        assert is_syslog("May 11 14:23:01 example-node kernel: message")
+
+    def test_detects_space_padded_day(self):
+        assert is_syslog("May  1 04:00:00 example-node CRON[9999]: message")
+
+    def test_rejects_servarr(self):
+        assert not is_syslog("2026-05-11 02:31:51.5|Info|ComponentName|Message")
+
+    def test_rejects_journald_json(self):
+        assert not is_syslog('{"__REALTIME_TIMESTAMP": "12345", "MESSAGE": "hi"}')
+
+    def test_rejects_dmesg_relative(self):
+        assert not is_syslog("[    0.000000] Linux version 6.8.0")
+
+    def test_rejects_plaintext(self):
+        assert not is_syslog("just a plain text line with no structure")
+
+
+class TestParser:
+    def _parse(self, text: str) -> list:
+        return list(parse(iter(text.splitlines(keepends=True)), "syslog_test", []))
+
+    def test_entry_count(self):
+        assert len(self._parse(SYSLOG_SAMPLE)) == 6
+
+    def test_ident_prepended(self):
+        entries = self._parse(SYSLOG_SAMPLE)
+        assert entries[0].text.startswith("[sshd]")
+
+    def test_timestamp_parsed(self):
+        entries = self._parse(SYSLOG_SAMPLE)
+        assert "14:23:01" in entries[0].timestamp_iso
+
+    def test_space_padded_day(self):
+        entries = self._parse(SYSLOG_SAMPLE)
+        cron_entry = entries[4]
+        assert "04:00:00" in cron_entry.timestamp_iso
+
+    def test_source_id_propagated(self):
+        assert all(e.source_id == "syslog_test" for e in self._parse(SYSLOG_SAMPLE))
+
+    def test_sequence_is_monotonic(self):
+        entries = self._parse(SYSLOG_SAMPLE)
+        seqs = [e.sequence for e in entries]
+        assert seqs == sorted(seqs) and len(set(seqs)) == len(seqs)
+
+    def test_severity_fallback(self):
+        # No explicit severity in syslog RFC3164 body — falls back to detect_severity
+        entries = self._parse(SYSLOG_SAMPLE)
+        assert entries[0].severity is None or isinstance(entries[0].severity, str)