diff --git a/docs/developers/platformprovider/03-develop.mdx b/docs/developers/platformprovider/03-develop.mdx
deleted file mode 100644
index 8d8012dd..00000000
--- a/docs/developers/platformprovider/03-develop.mdx
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
----
-sidebar_position: 3
-id: develop
----
-
-# Develop
-
-:::info Coming Soon
-A comprehensive guide for developing Platform Providers from scratch is coming soon.
-:::
-
-Platform Providers deliver complete platform capabilities and services within the OpenControlPlane ecosystem. They follow the same general patterns as Service Providers and Cluster Providers.
-
-For now, you can:
-- Refer to the [Deploy Guide](./01-deployment.mdx) for the common deployment contract
-- Check the [Service Provider Develop Guide](../serviceprovider/02-develop.mdx) for general patterns that apply to all provider types
diff --git a/docs/developers/platformprovider/04-examples.mdx b/docs/developers/platformprovider/04-examples.mdx
deleted file mode 100644
index af2c5969..00000000
--- a/docs/developers/platformprovider/04-examples.mdx
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
----
-sidebar_position: 4
-id: examples
----
-
-# Examples
-
-:::info Coming Soon
-Platform Provider examples and templates are coming soon.
-:::
-
-Platform Providers deliver complete platform capabilities within OpenControlPlane. Stay tuned for official examples and reference implementations.
diff --git a/docs/developers/platformprovider/05-design.mdx b/docs/developers/platformprovider/05-design.mdx
deleted file mode 100644
index 819a6b14..00000000
--- a/docs/developers/platformprovider/05-design.mdx
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
----
-sidebar_position: 5
-id: design
----
-
-# Design
-
-:::info Coming Soon
-Detailed design documentation for Platform Providers is coming soon.
-:::
-
-Platform Providers deliver complete platform capabilities within the OpenControlPlane ecosystem. They follow similar architectural patterns to Service Providers and Cluster Providers.
-
-For reference, you can review the [Service Provider Design Documentation](../serviceprovider/01-design.mdx) which outlines concepts that apply to all provider types in the OpenControlPlane ecosystem.
diff --git a/docs/developers/platformprovider/_category_.json b/docs/developers/platformprovider/_category_.json
deleted file mode 100644
index f66f842c..00000000
--- a/docs/developers/platformprovider/_category_.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-{
- "label": "Platform Providers",
- "position": 4
-}
diff --git a/docs/developers/platformservice/01-design.mdx b/docs/developers/platformservice/01-design.mdx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..01a3ceb1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/developers/platformservice/01-design.mdx
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+---
+sidebar_position: 1
+id: design
+---
+
+# Design
+
+This document defines the terminology for Platform Services within the OpenControlPlane project and clarifies their scope, responsibilities and boundaries. In particular, it distinguishes Platform Services and Service Providers.
+
+## Domain
+
+Platform services deliver platform capabilities within the OpenControlPlane ecosystem. They follow similar architectural patterns to [Service Providers](../serviceprovider/01-design.mdx) and [Cluster Providers](../clusterprovider/04-design.mdx).
+
+When mapped to a layered architecture using the personas of **Platform Owner**, **Service Provider** and **User**, Platform Services operate in the **Platform Owner** layer. Together with [Cluster Providers](../clusterprovider/04-design.mdx) they build the foundation of OpenControlPlane:
+
+| Persona | OpenControlPlane Concept | Responsibility |
+| :------ | :--------------- | :------------------- |
+| Platform Owner | Platform Service and [Cluster Provider](../clusterprovider/04-design.mdx) | Provide platform capabilities consumed by the layers below |
+| Service Provider | [Service Providers](../serviceprovider/01-design.mdx) | Provide managed services consumed by the layer below |
+| User | Not an OpenControlPlane concept but a human end user | Generate value from the services provided by Platform Owners and Service Providers |
+
+Some Platform Services are required to operate OpenControlPlane, such as those included in the [openmcp-operator](https://github.com/openmcp-project/openmcp-operator). Others are optional and extend the platform's capabilities to support specific use cases.
+
+:::info
+For more details on platform personas, see [Why Kubernetes Is Inappropriate for Platforms, and How to Make It Better](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7op_r9R0fCo).
+:::
+
+### API
+
+A Platform Service defines one or more `APIs` that consumers use to interact with its functionality.
+
+```mermaid
+graph LR
+ CON[Consumer]
+ API[API]
+ CON -->|manages instances|API
+```
+
+A consumer may be a human or another system.
+
+:::info
+A Platform Service may introduce a user-facing `API` but is not required to do so. Most Platform Services operate without exposing user-facing APIs and provide their capabilities internally to the Platform Owner and Service Provider layers (see [Domain](#domain) and [Service Provider Comparison](#comparison-to-service-providers)).
+:::
+
+### Config
+
+A Platform Service defines a `Config` resource that contains service-specific settings. This allows platform owners to configure the service for different deployment scenarios and to enable or disable features.
+
+```mermaid
+graph LR
+ %% Platform Owner
+ OP[Platform Owner]
+ PS[PlatformService]
+ PSC[Config]
+ OP -->|manages instances|PS
+ OP -->|manages instances|PSC
+```
+
+### Deployment Model
+
+A Platform Service runs on the platform cluster and reconciles its platform cluster `API` and/or onboarding cluster `EndUserAPI`. It creates and manages resources on the platform cluster.
+
+```mermaid
+graph TD
+ %% Onboarding Cluster
+ subgraph OnboardingCluster
+ USRAPI[EndUserAPI]
+ end
+
+ %% Platform Cluster
+ subgraph PlatformCluster
+ OP[openmcp-operator]
+ PS[PlatformService]
+ PSC[Config]
+ API[API]
+ end
+
+ %% edges
+ PS -->|reconciles|API
+ PS -->|reconciles|USRAPI
+ PS -->|uses|PSC
+ OP-->|reconciles|PS
+```
+
+For more details on cluster types, see [Clusters and Namespaces](../clusters-and-namespaces.md).
+
+## Comparison to Service Providers
+
+The following table distinguishes Platform Services and Service Providers based on where they introduce new APIs.
+
+| Cluster | Platform Service | Service Provider |
+| :------ | :--------------- | :--------------- |
+| Platform cluster | ✳️ | ❌ |
+| Onboarding cluster | ✳️ | ✅ |
+| Control Plane | ❌ | ✅ |
+
+✅ MUST introduce API on that cluster type.
+✳️ MAY introduce API on that cluster type.
+❌ MUST NOT introduce API on that cluster type.
+
+:::info
+Note that the Service Provider [Config](../serviceprovider/01-design.mdx#config) is not considered a service.
+:::
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/developers/platformservice/02-develop.mdx b/docs/developers/platformservice/02-develop.mdx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1a4b50c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/developers/platformservice/02-develop.mdx
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+---
+sidebar_position: 2
+id: develop
+---
+
+# Develop
+
+:::info Coming Soon
+A comprehensive guide for developing Platform Services from scratch is coming soon.
+:::
+
+Platform Services deliver complete platform capabilities and services within the OpenControlPlane ecosystem. They follow the same general patterns as Service Providers and Cluster Providers.
+
+For now, you can:
+- Refer to the [Deploy Guide](./03-deployment.mdx) for the common deployment contract
+- Check the [Service Provider Develop Guide](../serviceprovider/02-develop.mdx) for general patterns that apply to all provider types
diff --git a/docs/developers/platformprovider/01-deployment.mdx b/docs/developers/platformservice/03-deployment.mdx
similarity index 55%
rename from docs/developers/platformprovider/01-deployment.mdx
rename to docs/developers/platformservice/03-deployment.mdx
index b30757ea..b9441cb0 100644
--- a/docs/developers/platformprovider/01-deployment.mdx
+++ b/docs/developers/platformservice/03-deployment.mdx
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
---
-sidebar_position: 1
+sidebar_position: 3
id: deploy
---
# Deploy
:::info Coming Soon
-Documentation for deploying Platform Providers is coming soon. Platform Providers follow the same deployment contract as Service Providers and Cluster Providers.
+Documentation for deploying Platform Services is coming soon. Platform Services follow the same deployment contract as Service Providers and Cluster Providers.
:::
For now, please refer to the [Service Provider Deploy Guide](../serviceprovider/05-deployment.mdx) for the common deployment contract that applies to all provider types.
diff --git a/docs/developers/platformservice/04-examples.mdx b/docs/developers/platformservice/04-examples.mdx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b879f3a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/developers/platformservice/04-examples.mdx
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+---
+sidebar_position: 4
+id: examples
+---
+
+# Examples
+
+:::info Coming Soon
+Platform Services examples and templates are coming soon.
+:::
+
+Platform Services deliver complete platform capabilities within OpenControlPlane. Stay tuned for official examples and reference implementations.
diff --git a/docs/developers/platformservice/_category_.json b/docs/developers/platformservice/_category_.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..89e687cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/developers/platformservice/_category_.json
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+{
+ "label": "Platform Services",
+ "position": 4
+}
diff --git a/docs/developers/serviceprovider/04-testing.mdx b/docs/developers/serviceprovider/04-testing.mdx
index c690ccf1..fd36c51e 100644
--- a/docs/developers/serviceprovider/04-testing.mdx
+++ b/docs/developers/serviceprovider/04-testing.mdx
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ id: testing
```mermaid
flowchart LR
subgraph kind["Platform cluster (created by the framework)"]
- P["openmcp-operator,
cluster/service/platform providers"]
+ P["openmcp-operator,
platform services,
cluster/service providers"]
end
P -->|"creates (via operator)"| O["Onboarding cluster
(consumer applies CRs here)"]
P -->|"creates per tenant (via operator)"| M["ControlPlane cluster
(per-tenant control plane)"]