diff --git a/cmd/jpictl/dns.go b/cmd/jpictl/dns.go
index f3a2cbe..ad13421 100644
--- a/cmd/jpictl/dns.go
+++ b/cmd/jpictl/dns.go
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ func populateDNSManager(mgr *dns.Manager, m *cluster.Cluster) error {
 
 	m.ForEachZone(func(z *cluster.Zone) bool {
 		z.ForEachMachine(func(p *cluster.Machine) bool {
-			err = mgr.AddHost(ctx, z.Name, p.ID, true, p.PublicAddresses...)
+			err = mgr.AddHost(ctx, z.Name, p.ID, p.IsActive(), p.PublicAddresses...)
 			return err != nil
 		})
 
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/machine.go b/pkg/cluster/machine.go
index 46ac7e9..07dccbd 100644
--- a/pkg/cluster/machine.go
+++ b/pkg/cluster/machine.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ type Machine struct {
 	ID   int
 	Name string `json:"-" yaml:"-"`
 
+	Inactive        bool         `json:"inactive,omitempty"     yaml:"inactive,omitempty"`
 	CephMonitor     bool         `json:"ceph_monitor,omitempty" yaml:"ceph_monitor,omitempty"`
 	PublicAddresses []netip.Addr `json:"public,omitempty"       yaml:"public,omitempty"`
 	Rings           []*RingInfo  `json:"rings,omitempty"        yaml:"rings,omitempty"`
@@ -43,6 +44,11 @@ func (m *Machine) FullName() string {
 	return strings.Join(name, ".")
 }
 
+// IsActive indicates the machine is to be included in regions' DNS entries
+func (m *Machine) IsActive() bool {
+	return !m.Inactive
+}
+
 // IsGateway tells if the Machine is a ring0 gateway
 func (m *Machine) IsGateway() bool {
 	_, ok := m.getRingInfo(0)
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/machine_file.go b/pkg/cluster/machine_file.go
index f4bb148..f182f47 100644
--- a/pkg/cluster/machine_file.go
+++ b/pkg/cluster/machine_file.go
@@ -53,6 +53,14 @@ func (m *Machine) ReadFile(name string, args ...any) ([]byte, error) {
 	return m.zone.zones.ReadFile(fullName)
 }
 
+// ReadLines reads a file from the machine's config directory,
+// split by lines, trimmed, and accepting `#` to comment lines out.
+func (m *Machine) ReadLines(name string, args ...any) ([]string, error) {
+	fullName := m.getFilename(name, args...)
+
+	return m.zone.zones.ReadLines(fullName)
+}
+
 // WriteStringFile writes the given content to a file on the machine's config directory
 func (m *Machine) WriteStringFile(value string, name string, args ...any) error {
 	fullName := m.getFilename(name, args...)
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/machine_scan.go b/pkg/cluster/machine_scan.go
index ef3f221..259d945 100644
--- a/pkg/cluster/machine_scan.go
+++ b/pkg/cluster/machine_scan.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package cluster
 import (
 	"context"
 	"net/netip"
+	"os"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
@@ -81,7 +82,30 @@ func (m *Machine) scan(_ *ScanOptions) error {
 		}
 	}
 
-	return nil
+	return m.loadInactive()
+}
+
+func (m *Machine) loadInactive() error {
+	data, err := m.ReadLines("region")
+	switch {
+	case os.IsNotExist(err):
+		// no file
+		return nil
+	case err != nil:
+		// read error
+		return err
+	default:
+		// look for "none"
+		for _, r := range data {
+			switch r {
+			case "none":
+				m.Inactive = true
+			default:
+				m.Inactive = false
+			}
+		}
+		return nil
+	}
 }
 
 // scanWrapUp is called once all machines have been scanned
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/regions.go b/pkg/cluster/regions.go
index 3384ca5..277ac15 100644
--- a/pkg/cluster/regions.go
+++ b/pkg/cluster/regions.go
@@ -32,7 +32,9 @@ func (r *Region) ForEachMachine(fn func(*Machine) bool) {
 		var term bool
 
 		z.ForEachMachine(func(p *Machine) bool {
-			term = fn(p)
+			if p.IsActive() {
+				term = fn(p)
+			}
 			return term
 		})