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+<!-- START doctoc generated TOC please keep comment here to allow auto update -->
+<!-- DON'T EDIT THIS SECTION, INSTEAD RE-RUN doctoc TO UPDATE -->
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+- [13. Self managed Rancher cluster](#title)
+  - [Context](#context)
+  - [Decision](#decision)
+  - [Consequences](#consequences)
+
+<!-- END doctoc generated TOC please keep comment here to allow auto update -->
+
+# Self managed Rancher cluster
+
+- Status: proposed
+- Date: 2025-01-20
+- Authors: @anmazzotti
+- Deciders: @alexander-demicev @furkatgofurov7 @salasberryfin @Danil-Grigorev @mjura @yiannistri
+
+## Context
+
+There are currently no best practices, documentation, or support to deploy a self managed Rancher cluster.  
+In this scenario, a user such as a platform engineer starts from zero.  
+
+- How can they bootstrap their first management Cluster?
+- How to install Rancher in it?
+- How to install Rancher Turtles and make the cluster also manage itself using CAPI?
+- How can a self managed cluster be provisioned from an air-gapped environment?
+
+## Decision
+
+The proposed solution is to support a [Bootstrap & Pivot](https://cluster-api.sigs.k8s.io/clusterctl/commands/move.html#bootstrap--pivot) process, so that the user can first create a temporary management cluster, then use it to bootstrap the Rancher management cluster, and finally pivot all needed resources to it.  
+
+In order to ensure compatibility and sane validation checks, initialize and move operation should be done using the [clusteroperator](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/cluster-api-operator/tree/main/cmd/plugin/cmd) CLI.  
+An additional reason to use `clusteroperator` is to make use of the upcoming `preload` [support](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/cluster-api-operator/pull/683) and being able to load manifests from OCI images, which will ease the air-gapped scenarios.  
+
+A simplified sequence of actions should look like:
+
+1. Air-gap preparation steps if needed
+1. Deploy a temporary cluster
+1. `clusteroperator init ...`
+1. Provision a downstream `rancher` CAPI cluster
+1. Initialize the cluster installing Rancher & Turtles (with all needed providers)
+1. `clusteroperator move rancher ...`
+1. Delete the temporary cluster
+
+Support for a self managed cluster can be improved in different iterations:
+
+1. Provide and document a sample script to deploy a self managed Rancher cluster on CAPD+RKE2 using kind
+1. Support air-gapped scenario (for kind --> CAPD+RKE2 sample)
+1. Implement and use a test suite to deploy self managed Rancher clusters on all supported providers
+1. Test scenarios should support upgrading providers on the self managed cluster, and upgrading the k8s version too, to ensure a correct cluster lifecycle
+1. Document how to use the test suite to automate self managed cluster provisioning for end-users
+
+## Consequences
+
+- `clusteroperator move` needs to be implemented first
+- Implementation will be integrated with air-gapped scenarios specific to the infrastructure provider. 
+- There is no clear cluster-api contract for self-managing clusters. This should not be a problem by design, but it could be improved, for example by preventing self-managed cluster accidental deletion.
+- Different ways of deploying the temporary cluster can be supported. One notable example being Rancher Desktop, to make the process accessible to most users.