diff --git a/docs/user-guide/src/SUMMARY.md b/docs/user-guide/src/SUMMARY.md
index 662bb6ba..79a4066d 100644
--- a/docs/user-guide/src/SUMMARY.md
+++ b/docs/user-guide/src/SUMMARY.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 - [Installing on Baremetal](baremetal/guide.md)
 - [Baremetal Operator](bmo/introduction.md)
    - [Install Baremetal Operator](bmo/install_baremetal_operator.md)
+   - [Host State Machine](bmo/state_machine.md)
    - [Supported Hardware](bmo/supported_hardware.md)
    - [Basic Features](bmo/features.md)
       - [Automated Cleaning](bmo/automated_cleaning.md)
diff --git a/docs/user-guide/src/bmo/images/provisioning-states.dot b/docs/user-guide/src/bmo/images/provisioning-states.dot
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5194f89e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/user-guide/src/bmo/images/provisioning-states.dot
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+digraph BaremetalHost {
+    Created [shape=house]
+    Created -> Unmanaged [label="BMC.* == \"\""]
+    Created -> Registering [label="BMC.* != \"\""]
+
+    Unmanaged [shape=doublecircle]
+    Unmanaged -> Registering [label="BMC.* != \"\""]
+    Unmanaged -> Deleting [label="!DeletionTimestamp.IsZero()"]
+
+    ExternallyProvisioned [label="Externally\nProvisioned"]
+
+    Registering -> Inspecting [label="!externallyProvisioned &&\nNeedsHardwareInspection()"]
+    Registering -> Preparing [label="!externallyProvisioned &&\ninspectionDisabled()"]
+    Registering -> ExternallyProvisioned [label="externallyProvisioned"]
+    Registering -> Deleting [label="!DeletionTimestamp.IsZero()"]
+
+    ExternallyProvisioned -> Inspecting [label="!externallyProvisioned &&\nNeedsHardwareInspection()"]
+    ExternallyProvisioned -> Preparing [label="!externallyProvisioned &&\n!NeedsHardwareInspection()"]
+    Available -> ExternallyProvisioned [label="externallyProvisioned"]
+
+    Inspecting -> Preparing [label="done"]
+    Inspecting -> PoweringOffBeforeDelete [label="!DeletionTimestamp.IsZero()"]
+
+    Preparing -> Available [label="done"]
+    Preparing -> PoweringOffBeforeDelete [label="!DeletionTimestamp.IsZero()"]
+
+    Available [shape=doublecircle]
+    Available -> Provisioning [label="NeedsProvisioning()"]
+    Available -> Preparing [label="saveHostProvisioningSettings()"]
+    Available -> Preparing [label="getHostFirmwareSettings()"]
+    Available -> PoweringOffBeforeDelete [label="!DeletionTimestamp.IsZero()"]
+    Available -> Inspecting [label="hasInspectAnnotation()"]
+
+    Deleting7 [shape=point]
+
+    Provisioning -> Provisioned [label=done]
+    Provisioning -> Deprovisioning [label="failed ||\n!DeletionTimestamp.IsZero()"]
+
+    Provisioned [shape=doublecircle]
+    Provisioned -> Deprovisioning [label="provisioningCancelled()"]
+    Provisioned -> Deprovisioning [label="!DeletionTimestamp.IsZero()"]
+
+    ExternallyProvisioned [shape=doublecircle]
+    ExternallyProvisioned -> PoweringOffBeforeDelete [label="!DeletionTimestamp.IsZero()"]
+
+    Deprovisioning -> Provisioning [label="NeedsProvisioning()"]
+    Deprovisioning -> Available [label="!NeedsProvisioning()"]
+
+    Deprovisioning -> PoweringOffBeforeDelete
+    PoweringOffBeforeDelete -> Deleting
+
+    Deleting [shape=doublecircle]
+}
diff --git a/docs/user-guide/src/bmo/images/provisioning-states.png b/docs/user-guide/src/bmo/images/provisioning-states.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..086d0766
Binary files /dev/null and b/docs/user-guide/src/bmo/images/provisioning-states.png differ
diff --git a/docs/user-guide/src/bmo/state_machine.md b/docs/user-guide/src/bmo/state_machine.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..971e360c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/user-guide/src/bmo/state_machine.md
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+# Host State Machine
+
+During its lifetime, a `BareMetalHost` resource goes through a series of
+various states. Some of them are *stable* (the host stays in them indefinitely
+without user input), some are *transient* (the state will change once a certain
+operation completes). These fields in the `status` resource define the current
+state of the host:
+
+- `status.provisioning.state` -- the current phase of the provisioning process.
+- `status.operationHistory` -- the history of the main provisioning phases:
+  registration, inspection, provisioning and deprovisioning.
+- `status.operationalStatus` -- the overall status of the host.
+- `status.errorType` -- the type of the current error (if any).
+- `status.poweredOn` -- the current power state of the host.
+
+This is how the status of a healthy provisioned host may look like:
+
+```yaml
+status:
+ # ...
+ operationHistory:
+    deprovision:
+      end: null
+      start: null
+    inspect:
+      end: "2024-06-17T13:09:07Z"
+      start: "2024-06-17T13:03:54Z"
+    provision:
+      end: "2024-06-17T13:11:18Z"
+      start: "2024-06-17T13:09:26Z"
+    register:
+      end: "2024-06-17T13:03:54Z"
+      start: "2024-06-17T12:54:18Z"
+  operationalStatus: OK
+  poweredOn: true
+  provisioning:
+    ID: e09032ea-1b7d-4c50-bfcd-b94ff7e8d431
+    bootMode: UEFI
+    image:
+      checksumType: sha256
+      checksum: http://192.168.0.150/SHA256SUMS
+      format: qcow2
+      url: http://192.168.0.150/jammy-server-cloudimg-amd64.img
+    rootDeviceHints:
+      deviceName: /dev/sda
+    state: provisioned
+ # ...
+```
+
+## OperationalStatus
+
+- `OK` -- the host is healthy and operational.
+- `discovered` -- the host is known to Metal3 but lacks the required
+  information for the normal operation (usually, the BMC credentials).
+- `error` -- error has occured, see the `status.errorType` and
+  `status.errorMessage` fields for details.
+- `delayed` -- cannot proceed with the provisioning because the maximum number
+  of the hosts in the given state has been reached.
+- `detached` -- the host is detached, no provisioning actions are possible
+  (see [detached annotation](./detached_annotation.md) for details).
+
+## Provisioning state machine
+
+![BaremetalHost provisioning state transitions](images/provisioning-states.png)
+
+## Provisioning states
+
+### Creating
+
+Newly created hosts get an empty provisioning state briefly before moving
+either to `unmanaged` or `registering`.
+
+### Unmanaged
+
+An `unmanaged` host is missing both the BMC address and credentials
+secret name, and does not have any information to access the BMC
+for registration.
+
+The corresponding operational status is `discovered`.
+
+### Externally Provisioned
+
+An `externally provisioned` host has been deployed using another tool. Hosts
+reach this state when they are created with the `externallyProvisioned` field
+set to `true`. Hosts in this state are monitored, and only their power status
+is managed.
+
+### Registering
+
+The host will stay in the `registering` state while the BMC access details are
+being validated.
+
+### Inspecting
+
+After the host is registered, an IPA ramdisk will be booted on it.  The agent
+collects information about the available hardware components and sends it back
+to Metal3. The host will stay in the `inspecting` state until this process is
+completed.
+
+### Preparing
+
+When setting up RAID or changing firmware settings, the host will be in
+`preparing` state.
+
+### Available
+
+A host in the `available` state is ready to be provisioned. It will move to the
+`provisioning` state once the `image` field is populated.
+
+### Provisioning
+
+While an image is being copied to the host, and the host is configured
+to run the image, the host will be in the `provisioning` state.
+
+### Provisioned
+
+After an image is copied to the host and the host is running the
+image, it will be in the `provisioned` state.
+
+### Deprovisioning
+
+When the previously provisioned image is being removed from the host,
+it will be in the `deprovisioning` state.
+
+### Powering off before delete
+
+When the host that is not currently `unmanaged` is marked to be deleted, it
+will be powered off first and will stay in the `powering off before delete`
+until it's done or until the retry limit is reached.
+
+### Deleting
+
+When the host is marked to be deleted and has been successfully powered off, it
+will move from its current state to `deleting`, at which point the resource
+record is deleted.