diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/AgentList.tsx b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/AgentList.tsx
index aae4547c7..825ba5e46 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/AgentList.tsx
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/AgentList.tsx
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ interface AgentListProps {
   deletingAgentKey: string | null
   onCreateAgent: () => void
   onDeleteAgent: (agent: AgentListItem) => void
+  onOpenTerminal?: (agent: AgentListItem) => void
   onPinToggle: (agent: AgentListItem, next: boolean) => void
 }
 
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@ export const AgentList: FC<AgentListProps> = ({
   deletingAgentKey,
   onCreateAgent,
   onDeleteAgent,
+  onOpenTerminal,
   onPinToggle,
 }) => {
   const adapterHealth = useMemo(() => {
@@ -104,6 +106,7 @@ export const AgentList: FC<AgentListProps> = ({
             data={data}
             deleting={deletingAgentKey === agent.key}
             onDelete={onDeleteAgent}
+            onOpenTerminal={onOpenTerminal}
             onPinToggle={onPinToggle}
           />
         )
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/AgentRowCard.tsx b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/AgentRowCard.tsx
index f54866fba..074533eb6 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/AgentRowCard.tsx
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/AgentRowCard.tsx
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ export const AgentRowCard: FC<AgentRowCardProps> = ({
   data,
   deleting,
   onDelete,
+  onOpenTerminal,
   onPinToggle,
 }) => {
   return (
@@ -92,6 +93,7 @@ export const AgentRowCard: FC<AgentRowCardProps> = ({
           activeTurnId={data.activeTurnId}
           deleting={deleting}
           onDelete={onDelete}
+          onOpenTerminal={onOpenTerminal}
         />
       </div>
     </div>
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/AgentTerminal.tsx b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/AgentTerminal.tsx
index b399c7a4d..ab0e415bd 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/AgentTerminal.tsx
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/AgentTerminal.tsx
@@ -13,16 +13,28 @@ import { getAgentServerUrl } from '@/lib/browseros/helpers'
 
 interface AgentTerminalProps {
   onBack: () => void
+  target?: TerminalTargetId
+  agentId?: string
   initialCommand?: string
   onSessionExit?: () => void
 }
 
+type TerminalTargetId = 'openclaw' | 'claude' | 'codex' | 'hermes'
+
+interface TerminalTargetOption {
+  id: TerminalTargetId
+  label: string
+  workingDir: string
+  shell: string
+}
+
 type TerminalServerMessage =
   | { type: 'output'; data: string }
   | { type: 'exit'; exitCode: number }
   | { type: 'error'; message: string }
 
 const TERMINAL_HOME_DIR = OPENCLAW_CONTAINER_HOME
+const DEFAULT_TARGET: TerminalTargetId = 'openclaw'
 const TERMINAL_FONT_FAMILY =
   '"Geist Mono", Menlo, Monaco, "Courier New", monospace'
 
@@ -118,11 +130,14 @@ function parseTerminalMessage(data: unknown): TerminalServerMessage | null {
 
 export const AgentTerminal: FC<AgentTerminalProps> = ({
   onBack,
+  target = DEFAULT_TARGET,
+  agentId,
   initialCommand,
   onSessionExit,
 }) => {
   const containerRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null)
   const terminalRef = useRef<Terminal | null>(null)
+  const sentInitialCommandRef = useRef(false)
   // Refs keep the mount-once effect from tearing down the PTY when the
   // parent re-renders with new inline callbacks.
   const initialCommandRef = useRef(initialCommand)
@@ -131,6 +146,45 @@ export const AgentTerminal: FC<AgentTerminalProps> = ({
   onSessionExitRef.current = onSessionExit
 
   const [copied, setCopied] = useState(false)
+  const [selectedTarget, setSelectedTarget] = useState<TerminalTargetId>(target)
+  const [targets, setTargets] = useState<TerminalTargetOption[]>([])
+
+  const selectedTargetInfo = targets.find(
+    (entry) => entry.id === selectedTarget,
+  )
+  const workingDir = selectedTargetInfo?.workingDir ?? TERMINAL_HOME_DIR
+  const shell = selectedTargetInfo?.shell ?? OPENCLAW_TERMINAL_SHELL
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    setSelectedTarget(target)
+  }, [target])
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const ac = new AbortController()
+    const loadTargets = async (): Promise<void> => {
+      try {
+        const baseUrl = await getAgentServerUrl()
+        if (ac.signal.aborted) return
+        const url = new URL('/terminal/targets', baseUrl)
+        if (agentId) url.searchParams.set('agentId', agentId)
+        const res = await fetch(url, { signal: ac.signal })
+        if (!res.ok) return
+        const body = (await res.json()) as { targets?: TerminalTargetOption[] }
+        const nextTargets = body.targets ?? []
+        setTargets(nextTargets)
+        setSelectedTarget((current) =>
+          nextTargets.length > 0 &&
+          !nextTargets.some((entry) => entry.id === current)
+            ? nextTargets[0].id
+            : current,
+        )
+      } catch {
+        if (!ac.signal.aborted) setTargets([])
+      }
+    }
+    void loadTargets()
+    return () => ac.abort()
+  }, [agentId])
 
   // Copy the current xterm selection to the browser clipboard. No-op
   // if nothing is selected — users who want the whole buffer can
@@ -152,6 +206,8 @@ export const AgentTerminal: FC<AgentTerminalProps> = ({
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!containerRef.current) return
 
+    sentInitialCommandRef.current = false
+
     const terminal = new Terminal({
       fontSize: 14,
       fontFamily: TERMINAL_FONT_FAMILY,
@@ -226,6 +282,8 @@ export const AgentTerminal: FC<AgentTerminalProps> = ({
       if (ac.signal.aborted) return
       const wsUrl = new URL('/terminal/ws', baseUrl)
       wsUrl.protocol = wsUrl.protocol === 'https:' ? 'wss:' : 'ws:'
+      wsUrl.searchParams.set('target', selectedTarget)
+      if (agentId) wsUrl.searchParams.set('agentId', agentId)
 
       ws = new WebSocket(wsUrl)
       // If the effect was cleaned up between the await above and now,
@@ -242,7 +300,10 @@ export const AgentTerminal: FC<AgentTerminalProps> = ({
         terminal.focus()
         sendResize()
         const cmd = initialCommandRef.current
-        if (cmd) sendMessage({ type: 'input', data: `${cmd}\n` })
+        if (cmd && !sentInitialCommandRef.current) {
+          sentInitialCommandRef.current = true
+          sendMessage({ type: 'input', data: `${cmd}\n` })
+        }
       }
 
       ws.onmessage = (event) => {
@@ -303,7 +364,7 @@ export const AgentTerminal: FC<AgentTerminalProps> = ({
       terminal.dispose()
       terminalRef.current = null
     }
-  }, [])
+  }, [agentId, selectedTarget])
 
   return (
     <div className="flex h-[calc(100dvh-10rem)] min-h-[32rem] w-full flex-col py-2 sm:min-h-[42rem] sm:py-4">
@@ -318,10 +379,25 @@ export const AgentTerminal: FC<AgentTerminalProps> = ({
                 Container Terminal
               </div>
               <div className="truncate text-muted-foreground text-sm">
-                OpenClaw shell in {TERMINAL_HOME_DIR}
+                {selectedTargetInfo?.label ?? 'Managed runtime'} shell
               </div>
             </div>
           </div>
+          {targets.length > 1 && (
+            <select
+              value={selectedTarget}
+              onChange={(event) =>
+                setSelectedTarget(event.currentTarget.value as TerminalTargetId)
+              }
+              className="h-8 rounded-md border border-input bg-background px-2 text-sm"
+            >
+              {targets.map((entry) => (
+                <option key={entry.id} value={entry.id}>
+                  {entry.label}
+                </option>
+              ))}
+            </select>
+          )}
           <Button variant="outline" size="sm" onClick={handleCopy}>
             {copied ? (
               <Check className="mr-1 size-3.5" />
@@ -336,10 +412,10 @@ export const AgentTerminal: FC<AgentTerminalProps> = ({
           <div className="agent-terminal-shell flex h-full min-h-0 flex-col overflow-hidden rounded-lg border border-border bg-background">
             <div className="flex items-center justify-between gap-3 border-border border-b px-4 py-2.5">
               <div className="truncate font-mono text-muted-foreground text-xs">
-                {TERMINAL_HOME_DIR}
+                {workingDir}
               </div>
               <div className="font-mono text-[11px] text-muted-foreground">
-                {OPENCLAW_TERMINAL_SHELL.split('/').pop()}
+                {shell.split('/').pop()}
               </div>
             </div>
 
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/AgentsPage.tsx b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/AgentsPage.tsx
index 91faca66f..78edaa12f 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/AgentsPage.tsx
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/AgentsPage.tsx
@@ -49,6 +49,14 @@ import {
 } from './useAgents'
 import { useOpenClawAgents, useOpenClawMutations } from './useOpenClaw'
 
+type TerminalTargetId = 'openclaw' | 'claude' | 'codex' | 'hermes'
+
+interface TerminalLaunch {
+  target: TerminalTargetId
+  agentId?: string
+  initialCommand?: string
+}
+
 export const AgentsPage: FC = () => {
   const navigate = useNavigate()
   const { providers, defaultProviderId } = useLlmProviders()
@@ -108,7 +116,9 @@ export const AgentsPage: FC = () => {
   const [harnessModelId, setHarnessModelId] = useState('')
   const [harnessReasoningEffort, setHarnessReasoningEffort] = useState('')
   const [createHermesProviderId, setCreateHermesProviderId] = useState('')
-  const [showTerminal, setShowTerminal] = useState(false)
+  const [terminalLaunch, setTerminalLaunch] = useState<TerminalLaunch | null>(
+    null,
+  )
   const [cliAuthModalOpen, setCliAuthModalOpen] = useState(false)
   const [pageError, setPageError] = useState<string | null>(null)
   const [createError, setCreateError] = useState<string | null>(null)
@@ -232,6 +242,20 @@ export const AgentsPage: FC = () => {
     setHarnessReasoningEffort(descriptor?.defaultReasoningEffort ?? '')
   }
 
+  const handleOpenAgentTerminal = (agent: {
+    agentId: string
+    runtimeLabel: string
+  }) => {
+    const target =
+      harnessAgentLookup.get(agent.agentId)?.adapter ??
+      inferTerminalTarget(agent.runtimeLabel)
+    if (!target) return
+    setTerminalLaunch({
+      target,
+      agentId: agent.agentId,
+    })
+  }
+
   const { handleCreate, handleDelete, handleSetup, runWithPageErrorHandling } =
     createAgentPageActions({
       createProviderId,
@@ -258,14 +282,22 @@ export const AgentsPage: FC = () => {
       setupOpenClaw,
     })
 
-  if (showTerminal) {
-    return <AgentTerminal onBack={() => setShowTerminal(false)} />
+  if (terminalLaunch) {
+    return (
+      <AgentTerminal
+        onBack={() => setTerminalLaunch(null)}
+        target={terminalLaunch.target}
+        agentId={terminalLaunch.agentId}
+        initialCommand={terminalLaunch.initialCommand}
+      />
+    )
   }
 
   if (cliAuthModalOpen && authTerminalProvider) {
     return (
       <AgentTerminal
         onBack={() => setCliAuthModalOpen(false)}
+        target="openclaw"
         initialCommand={authTerminalProvider.authLoginCommand}
         onSessionExit={() => setCliAuthModalOpen(false)}
       />
@@ -345,7 +377,7 @@ export const AgentsPage: FC = () => {
           <GatewayStatusBar
             status={status}
             actionInProgress={actionInProgress}
-            onOpenTerminal={() => setShowTerminal(true)}
+            onOpenTerminal={() => setTerminalLaunch({ target: 'openclaw' })}
             onRestart={() => {
               void runWithPageErrorHandling(restartOpenClaw)
             }}
@@ -363,6 +395,7 @@ export const AgentsPage: FC = () => {
           onDeleteAgent={(agent) => {
             void handleDelete(agent)
           }}
+          onOpenTerminal={handleOpenAgentTerminal}
           onPinToggle={(agent, next) => {
             // Optimistic mutation; harness-only — gateway-original
             // OpenClaw entries are gated server-side via the harness
@@ -430,3 +463,12 @@ export const AgentsPage: FC = () => {
     </div>
   )
 }
+
+function inferTerminalTarget(label: string): TerminalTargetId | null {
+  const lower = label.toLowerCase()
+  if (lower === 'claude code') return 'claude'
+  if (lower === 'codex') return 'codex'
+  if (lower === 'hermes') return 'hermes'
+  if (lower === 'openclaw') return 'openclaw'
+  return null
+}
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/NewAgentDialog.test.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/NewAgentDialog.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..adca1f05e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/NewAgentDialog.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'bun:test'
+import type { HarnessAdapterDescriptor } from './agent-harness-types'
+import { getAdapterReadinessAlert } from './new-agent-dialog.helpers'
+
+const baseAdapter: HarnessAdapterDescriptor = {
+  id: 'claude',
+  name: 'Claude Code',
+  defaultModelId: 'default',
+  defaultReasoningEffort: 'medium',
+  modelControl: 'best-effort',
+  models: [],
+  reasoningEfforts: [],
+}
+
+describe('getAdapterReadinessAlert', () => {
+  it('blocks creation and explains the selected unhealthy runtime', () => {
+    expect(
+      getAdapterReadinessAlert({
+        ...baseAdapter,
+        health: {
+          healthy: false,
+          reason: 'Container is stopped. Call start() first.',
+          checkedAt: 123,
+        },
+      }),
+    ).toEqual({
+      title: 'Claude Code runtime is not ready',
+      description: 'Container is stopped. Call start() first.',
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('does not warn for healthy adapters', () => {
+    expect(
+      getAdapterReadinessAlert({
+        ...baseAdapter,
+        health: { healthy: true, checkedAt: 123 },
+      }),
+    ).toBeNull()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/NewAgentDialog.tsx b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/NewAgentDialog.tsx
index 4f39ccf13..ef14d447a 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/NewAgentDialog.tsx
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/NewAgentDialog.tsx
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import type {
   HarnessAgentAdapter,
 } from './agent-harness-types'
 import type { CreateAgentRuntime, ProviderOption } from './agents-page-types'
+import { getAdapterReadinessAlert } from './new-agent-dialog.helpers'
 import { ProviderSelector } from './OpenClawControls'
 import {
   type OpenClawCliProvider,
@@ -95,6 +96,11 @@ export const NewAgentDialog: FC<NewAgentDialogProps> = ({
 }) => {
   const selectedHarnessAdapter =
     adapters.find((adapter) => adapter.id === harnessAdapterId) ?? adapters[0]
+  const selectedRuntimeAdapter =
+    createRuntime === 'openclaw'
+      ? undefined
+      : adapters.find((adapter) => adapter.id === createRuntime)
+  const adapterReadinessAlert = getAdapterReadinessAlert(selectedRuntimeAdapter)
   const isHarnessRuntime = createRuntime !== 'openclaw'
   const isHermesRuntime = createRuntime === 'hermes'
   const isClassicHarnessRuntime = isHarnessRuntime && !isHermesRuntime
@@ -112,6 +118,7 @@ export const NewAgentDialog: FC<NewAgentDialogProps> = ({
     !openClawBlocked &&
     !cliBlocked &&
     !hermesBlocked &&
+    !adapterReadinessAlert &&
     (createRuntime === 'openclaw'
       ? providers.length > 0
       : Boolean(selectedHarnessAdapter))
@@ -176,6 +183,16 @@ export const NewAgentDialog: FC<NewAgentDialogProps> = ({
             </Select>
           </div>
 
+          {adapterReadinessAlert ? (
+            <Alert>
+              <AlertCircle className="size-4" />
+              <AlertTitle>{adapterReadinessAlert.title}</AlertTitle>
+              <AlertDescription>
+                {adapterReadinessAlert.description}
+              </AlertDescription>
+            </Alert>
+          ) : null}
+
           {createRuntime === 'openclaw' ? (
             <>
               {openClawBlocked ? (
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/agent-row/AgentActions.tsx b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/agent-row/AgentActions.tsx
index 9cfb9b92a..4047bd36d 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/agent-row/AgentActions.tsx
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/agent-row/AgentActions.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import {
   MoreHorizontal,
   Pencil,
   RotateCcw,
+  Terminal,
   Trash2,
 } from 'lucide-react'
 import type { FC } from 'react'
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@ interface AgentActionsProps {
   activeTurnId: string | null
   deleting?: boolean
   onDelete: (agent: AgentListItem) => void
+  onOpenTerminal?: (agent: AgentListItem) => void
 }
 
 /**
@@ -50,6 +52,7 @@ export const AgentActions: FC<AgentActionsProps> = ({
   activeTurnId,
   deleting,
   onDelete,
+  onOpenTerminal,
 }) => {
   const navigate = useNavigate()
   const allowDelete = canDeleteAgent(agent)
@@ -102,6 +105,12 @@ export const AgentActions: FC<AgentActionsProps> = ({
             <Copy className="mr-2 size-3.5" />
             Copy id
           </DropdownMenuItem>
+          {onOpenTerminal && (
+            <DropdownMenuItem onSelect={() => onOpenTerminal(agent)}>
+              <Terminal className="mr-2 size-3.5" />
+              Open terminal
+            </DropdownMenuItem>
+          )}
           <ComingSoonItem
             icon={Pencil}
             label="Rename"
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/agent-row/AgentSummaryChips.tsx b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/agent-row/AgentSummaryChips.tsx
index a7b29843f..d76aeb87f 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/agent-row/AgentSummaryChips.tsx
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/agent-row/AgentSummaryChips.tsx
@@ -57,11 +57,11 @@ export const AgentSummaryChips: FC<AgentSummaryChipsProps> = ({
           </HoverCardTrigger>
           <HoverCardContent side="right" className="w-72 text-sm">
             <div className="font-medium">
-              {adapterLabel(adapter)} CLI not available
+              {adapterLabel(adapter)} runtime unavailable
             </div>
             <div className="mt-1 text-muted-foreground text-xs">
               {adapterHealth.reason ??
-                'Adapter binary missing on $PATH. Install it from the adapter docs to use this agent.'}
+                'BrowserOS is still preparing this runtime. Retry after it is ready or use another adapter.'}
             </div>
           </HoverCardContent>
         </HoverCard>
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/agent-row/agent-row.types.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/agent-row/agent-row.types.ts
index 66204ab8e..bbfc68c40 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/agent-row/agent-row.types.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/agent-row/agent-row.types.ts
@@ -47,5 +47,6 @@ export interface AgentRowData {
 
 export interface AgentRowCallbacks {
   onDelete: (agent: AgentListItem) => void
+  onOpenTerminal?: (agent: AgentListItem) => void
   onPinToggle: (agent: AgentListItem, next: boolean) => void
 }
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/new-agent-dialog.helpers.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/new-agent-dialog.helpers.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..142f13c80
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/new-agent-dialog.helpers.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import type { HarnessAdapterDescriptor } from './agent-harness-types'
+
+export interface AdapterReadinessAlert {
+  title: string
+  description: string
+}
+
+export function getAdapterReadinessAlert(
+  adapter: HarnessAdapterDescriptor | undefined,
+): AdapterReadinessAlert | null {
+  if (!adapter || adapter.health?.healthy !== false) return null
+  return {
+    title: `${adapter.name} runtime is not ready`,
+    description:
+      adapter.health.reason ??
+      'BrowserOS is still preparing this runtime. Choose another adapter or retry after it is ready.',
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/useAgents.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/useAgents.ts
index d4da5015c..064f8bc09 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/useAgents.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/agent/entrypoints/app/agents/useAgents.ts
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ export function useAgentAdapters(enabled = true) {
       return data.adapters ?? []
     },
     enabled: Boolean(baseUrl) && !urlLoading && enabled,
+    refetchInterval: enabled ? 5_000 : false,
   })
 
   return {
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/api/routes/terminal.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/api/routes/terminal.ts
index 62afc9005..5565e5e97 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/api/routes/terminal.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/api/routes/terminal.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@ import {
 } from '../services/terminal/terminal-protocol'
 import {
   createTerminalSession,
-  TERMINAL_HOME_DIR,
+  listTerminalTargets,
+  resolveTerminalTarget,
   type TerminalSession,
 } from '../services/terminal/terminal-session'
 import type { Env } from '../types'
@@ -15,12 +16,19 @@ import type { Env } from '../types'
 export const TERMINAL_WS_PATH = '/terminal/ws'
 
 interface TerminalRouteDeps {
+  browserosDir: string
   containerName: string
+  listRunningContainers?: () => Promise<string[]>
   limaHome: string
   limactlPath: string | (() => string)
   vmName: string
 }
 
+interface TerminalRequestTarget {
+  target?: string | null
+  agentId?: string | null
+}
+
 function safeSend(ws: { send(data: string): void }, data: string): void {
   try {
     ws.send(data)
@@ -39,7 +47,10 @@ function sendExit(ws: { send(data: string): void }, exitCode: number): void {
   safeSend(ws, serializeTerminalServerMessage({ type: 'exit', exitCode }))
 }
 
-export function createTerminalSocketEvents(deps: TerminalRouteDeps) {
+export function createTerminalSocketEvents(
+  deps: TerminalRouteDeps,
+  requestTarget: TerminalRequestTarget = {},
+) {
   let session: TerminalSession | null = null
 
   return {
@@ -49,12 +60,17 @@ export function createTerminalSocketEvents(deps: TerminalRouteDeps) {
           typeof deps.limactlPath === 'function'
             ? deps.limactlPath()
             : deps.limactlPath
+        const target = resolveTerminalTarget({
+          browserosDir: deps.browserosDir,
+          target: requestTarget.target,
+          agentId: requestTarget.agentId,
+          openclawContainerName: deps.containerName,
+        })
         session = createTerminalSession({
-          containerName: deps.containerName,
           limaHome: deps.limaHome,
           limactlPath,
+          target,
           vmName: deps.vmName,
-          workingDir: TERMINAL_HOME_DIR,
           onOutput(data) {
             sendOutput(ws, data)
           },
@@ -95,8 +111,28 @@ export function createTerminalSocketEvents(deps: TerminalRouteDeps) {
 }
 
 export function createTerminalRoutes(deps: TerminalRouteDeps) {
-  return new Hono<Env>().get(
-    '/ws',
-    upgradeWebSocket(() => createTerminalSocketEvents(deps)),
-  )
+  return new Hono<Env>()
+    .get('/targets', async (c) => {
+      let runningContainers: Set<string> | undefined
+      if (deps.listRunningContainers) {
+        runningContainers = new Set(await deps.listRunningContainers())
+      }
+      return c.json({
+        targets: listTerminalTargets({
+          browserosDir: deps.browserosDir,
+          agentId: c.req.query('agentId'),
+          runningContainers,
+          openclawContainerName: deps.containerName,
+        }),
+      })
+    })
+    .get(
+      '/ws',
+      upgradeWebSocket((c) =>
+        createTerminalSocketEvents(deps, {
+          target: c.req.query('target'),
+          agentId: c.req.query('agentId'),
+        }),
+      ),
+    )
 }
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/api/server.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/api/server.ts
index c9ac50148..566028f4d 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/api/server.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/api/server.ts
@@ -17,8 +17,10 @@ import { cors } from 'hono/cors'
 import type { ContentfulStatusCode } from 'hono/utils/http-status'
 import { HttpAgentError } from '../agent/errors'
 import { INLINED_ENV } from '../env'
+import { getBrowserosDir } from '../lib/browseros-dir'
 import { KlavisClient } from '../lib/clients/klavis/klavis-client'
 import { initializeOAuth, shutdownOAuth } from '../lib/clients/oauth'
+import { ContainerCli } from '../lib/container/container-cli'
 import { getDb } from '../lib/db'
 import { logger } from '../lib/logger'
 import { Sentry } from '../lib/sentry'
@@ -109,14 +111,24 @@ export async function createHttpServer(config: HttpServerConfig) {
     .use('/*', requireTrustedAppOrigin())
     .route('/', createOpenClawRoutes())
 
+  const browserosDir = getBrowserosDir()
+  const terminalLimaHome = getLimaHomeDir(browserosDir)
+  const resolveTerminalLimactl = () => resolveBundledLimactl(resourcesDir)
   const terminalRoutes = new Hono<Env>()
     .use('/*', requireTrustedAppOrigin())
     .route(
       '/',
       createTerminalRoutes({
+        browserosDir,
         containerName: OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_CONTAINER_NAME,
-        limaHome: getLimaHomeDir(),
-        limactlPath: () => resolveBundledLimactl(resourcesDir),
+        limaHome: terminalLimaHome,
+        limactlPath: resolveTerminalLimactl,
+        listRunningContainers: async () =>
+          new ContainerCli({
+            limactlPath: resolveTerminalLimactl(),
+            limaHome: terminalLimaHome,
+            vmName: VM_NAME,
+          }).ps({ namesOnly: true }),
         vmName: VM_NAME,
       }),
     )
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/api/services/terminal/terminal-session.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/api/services/terminal/terminal-session.ts
index 4dfb609b5..0bb01db35 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/api/services/terminal/terminal-session.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/api/services/terminal/terminal-session.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,18 @@
+import { mkdirSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import { CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME } from '@browseros/shared/constants/claude'
+import { CODEX_CONTAINER_NAME } from '@browseros/shared/constants/codex'
+import {
+  HERMES_CONTAINER_HARNESS_DIR,
+  HERMES_CONTAINER_NAME,
+} from '@browseros/shared/constants/hermes'
 import {
   OPENCLAW_CONTAINER_HOME,
+  OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_CONTAINER_NAME,
   OPENCLAW_TERMINAL_SHELL,
 } from '@browseros/shared/constants/openclaw'
+import { resolveVmAgentRuntimePaths } from '../../../lib/agents/acpx-runtime-context'
+import { getHermesAgentHomeHostDir } from '../../../lib/agents/hermes/hermes-paths'
 import { buildNerdctlCommand } from '../../../lib/container'
 import { logger } from '../../../lib/logger'
 
@@ -10,12 +21,23 @@ const DEFAULT_COLS = 80
 const DEFAULT_ROWS = 24
 const TERMINAL_NAME = 'xterm-256color'
 
-interface TerminalSessionDeps {
+export type TerminalTargetId = 'openclaw' | 'claude' | 'codex' | 'hermes'
+
+export interface TerminalTarget {
+  id: TerminalTargetId
+  label: string
   containerName: string
+  workingDir: string
+  shell: string
+  env?: Record<string, string>
+  running?: boolean
+}
+
+interface TerminalSessionDeps {
   limaHome: string
   limactlPath: string
+  target: TerminalTarget
   vmName: string
-  workingDir: string
   onExit: (exitCode: number) => void
   onOutput: (data: string) => void
 }
@@ -29,8 +51,7 @@ export interface TerminalSession {
 export function buildTerminalExecCommand(
   limactlPath: string,
   vmName: string,
-  containerName: string,
-  workingDir: string,
+  target: TerminalTarget,
 ): string[] {
   return [
     limactlPath,
@@ -40,14 +61,130 @@ export function buildTerminalExecCommand(
     ...buildNerdctlCommand([
       'exec',
       '-it',
+      ...envArgs(target.env),
       '-w',
-      workingDir,
-      containerName,
-      OPENCLAW_TERMINAL_SHELL,
+      target.workingDir,
+      target.containerName,
+      target.shell,
     ]),
   ]
 }
 
+export function resolveTerminalTarget(input: {
+  browserosDir: string
+  target?: string | null
+  agentId?: string | null
+  materialize?: boolean
+  openclawContainerName?: string
+}): TerminalTarget {
+  const target = parseTargetId(input.target)
+  switch (target) {
+    case 'openclaw':
+      return {
+        id: 'openclaw',
+        label: 'OpenClaw gateway',
+        containerName:
+          input.openclawContainerName ?? OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_CONTAINER_NAME,
+        workingDir: OPENCLAW_CONTAINER_HOME,
+        shell: OPENCLAW_TERMINAL_SHELL,
+      }
+    case 'claude': {
+      const agentId = requireAgentId(target, input.agentId)
+      const paths = resolveVmAgentRuntimePaths({
+        browserosDir: input.browserosDir,
+        adapter: 'claude',
+        agentId,
+      })
+      if (input.materialize !== false) {
+        mkdirSync(paths.agentHome, { recursive: true })
+      }
+      return {
+        id: 'claude',
+        label: 'Claude Code runtime',
+        containerName: CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME,
+        workingDir: paths.agentHome,
+        shell: '/bin/sh',
+        env: {
+          AGENT_HOME: paths.agentHome,
+          HOME: paths.agentHome,
+        },
+      }
+    }
+    case 'codex': {
+      const agentId = requireAgentId(target, input.agentId)
+      const paths = resolveVmAgentRuntimePaths({
+        browserosDir: input.browserosDir,
+        adapter: 'codex',
+        agentId,
+      })
+      if (input.materialize !== false) {
+        mkdirSync(paths.agentHome, { recursive: true })
+        mkdirSync(paths.codexHome, { recursive: true })
+      }
+      return {
+        id: 'codex',
+        label: 'Codex runtime',
+        containerName: CODEX_CONTAINER_NAME,
+        workingDir: paths.agentHome,
+        shell: '/bin/sh',
+        env: {
+          AGENT_HOME: paths.agentHome,
+          CODEX_HOME: paths.codexHome,
+          HOME: paths.agentHome,
+        },
+      }
+    }
+    case 'hermes': {
+      const agentId = requireAgentId(target, input.agentId)
+      const hostHome = getHermesAgentHomeHostDir({
+        browserosDir: input.browserosDir,
+        agentId,
+      })
+      const containerHome = join(HERMES_CONTAINER_HARNESS_DIR, agentId, 'home')
+      if (input.materialize !== false) {
+        mkdirSync(hostHome, { recursive: true })
+      }
+      return {
+        id: 'hermes',
+        label: 'Hermes runtime',
+        containerName: HERMES_CONTAINER_NAME,
+        workingDir: containerHome,
+        shell: '/bin/sh',
+        env: {
+          HERMES_HOME: containerHome,
+        },
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+export function listTerminalTargets(input: {
+  browserosDir: string
+  agentId?: string | null
+  runningContainers?: Set<string>
+  openclawContainerName?: string
+}): TerminalTarget[] {
+  const targets: TerminalTarget[] = []
+  for (const target of ['openclaw', 'claude', 'codex', 'hermes'] as const) {
+    try {
+      const resolved = resolveTerminalTarget({
+        browserosDir: input.browserosDir,
+        target,
+        agentId: input.agentId,
+        materialize: false,
+        openclawContainerName: input.openclawContainerName,
+      })
+      const running = input.runningContainers
+        ? input.runningContainers.has(resolved.containerName)
+        : true
+      if (running) targets.push({ ...resolved, running })
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (!isMissingAgentIdError(error)) throw error
+    }
+  }
+  return targets
+}
+
 export function buildTerminalEnv(limaHome: string): NodeJS.ProcessEnv {
   return { ...process.env, LIMA_HOME: limaHome, TERM: TERMINAL_NAME }
 }
@@ -57,12 +194,7 @@ export function createTerminalSession(
 ): TerminalSession {
   const decoder = new TextDecoder()
   const proc = Bun.spawn(
-    buildTerminalExecCommand(
-      deps.limactlPath,
-      deps.vmName,
-      deps.containerName,
-      deps.workingDir,
-    ),
+    buildTerminalExecCommand(deps.limactlPath, deps.vmName, deps.target),
     {
       cwd: '/',
       terminal: {
@@ -84,7 +216,10 @@ export function createTerminalSession(
     deps.onExit(exitCode)
   })
 
-  logger.debug('Terminal session created', { workingDir: deps.workingDir })
+  logger.debug('Terminal session created', {
+    target: deps.target.id,
+    workingDir: deps.target.workingDir,
+  })
 
   return {
     writeInput(data) {
@@ -106,3 +241,46 @@ export function createTerminalSession(
     },
   }
 }
+
+function parseTargetId(value: string | null | undefined): TerminalTargetId {
+  if (!value) return 'openclaw'
+  if (
+    value === 'openclaw' ||
+    value === 'claude' ||
+    value === 'codex' ||
+    value === 'hermes'
+  ) {
+    return value
+  }
+  throw new Error(`Unknown terminal target: ${value}`)
+}
+
+function requireAgentId(
+  target: TerminalTargetId,
+  value: string | null | undefined,
+): string {
+  const agentId = value?.trim()
+  if (!agentId) {
+    throw new Error(`agentId is required for ${target} terminal`)
+  }
+  if (
+    agentId === '.' ||
+    agentId === '..' ||
+    agentId.includes('/') ||
+    agentId.includes('\\')
+  ) {
+    throw new Error('Invalid terminal agentId')
+  }
+  return agentId
+}
+
+function envArgs(env: Record<string, string> | undefined): string[] {
+  if (!env) return []
+  return Object.entries(env)
+    .sort(([left], [right]) => left.localeCompare(right))
+    .flatMap(([key, value]) => ['-e', `${key}=${value}`])
+}
+
+function isMissingAgentIdError(error: unknown): boolean {
+  return error instanceof Error && error.message.includes('agentId is required')
+}
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/acpx-agent-common.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/acpx-agent-common.ts
index 49b77c75b..aaa7c7c6f 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/acpx-agent-common.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/acpx-agent-common.ts
@@ -33,13 +33,19 @@ export interface BrowserosManagedContext {
 /** Builds the common BrowserOS-managed home, skills, cwd, and prompt prefix for Claude/Codex. */
 export async function prepareBrowserosManagedContext(
   input: PrepareAcpxAgentContextInput,
+  options: { paths?: AgentRuntimePaths; isDefaultWorkspace?: boolean } = {},
 ): Promise<BrowserosManagedContext> {
-  const paths = resolveAgentRuntimePaths({
-    browserosDir: input.browserosDir,
-    agentId: input.agent.id,
-    cwd: input.cwdOverride,
-  })
-  await ensureUsableCwd(paths.effectiveCwd, !input.isSelectedCwd)
+  const paths =
+    options.paths ??
+    resolveAgentRuntimePaths({
+      browserosDir: input.browserosDir,
+      agentId: input.agent.id,
+      cwd: input.cwdOverride,
+    })
+  await ensureUsableCwd(
+    paths.effectiveCwd,
+    options.isDefaultWorkspace ?? !input.isSelectedCwd,
+  )
   await ensureAgentHome(paths)
   const skillNames = await ensureRuntimeSkills(paths.runtimeSkillsDir)
   const promptPrefix = buildAcpxRuntimePromptPrefix({
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/acpx-runtime-context.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/acpx-runtime-context.ts
index 510a9c69b..8e209f08d 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/acpx-runtime-context.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/acpx-runtime-context.ts
@@ -6,15 +6,7 @@
 
 import { randomUUID } from 'node:crypto'
 import { constants, type Stats } from 'node:fs'
-import {
-  access,
-  readFile,
-  rename,
-  rm,
-  stat,
-  symlink,
-  writeFile,
-} from 'node:fs/promises'
+import { access, readFile, rename, rm, stat, writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises'
 import { homedir } from 'node:os'
 import { basename, dirname, join, resolve } from 'node:path'
 import { ensureDirectory } from '../ensure-directory'
@@ -64,6 +56,31 @@ export function resolveAgentRuntimePaths(input: {
   }
 }
 
+export function resolveVmAgentRuntimePaths(input: {
+  browserosDir: string
+  adapter: 'claude' | 'codex'
+  agentId: string
+}): AgentRuntimePaths {
+  const harnessDir = join(input.browserosDir, 'vm', input.adapter, 'harness')
+  const defaultWorkspaceCwd = join(harnessDir, 'workspace')
+  const runtimeRoot = join(harnessDir, input.agentId, 'runtime')
+  return {
+    browserosDir: input.browserosDir,
+    harnessDir,
+    agentHome: join(harnessDir, input.agentId, 'home'),
+    defaultWorkspaceCwd,
+    effectiveCwd: defaultWorkspaceCwd,
+    runtimeStatePath: join(
+      harnessDir,
+      'runtime-state',
+      `${input.agentId}.json`,
+    ),
+    runtimeSkillsDir: join(harnessDir, 'runtime-skills'),
+    runtimeRoot,
+    codexHome: join(runtimeRoot, 'codex-home'),
+  }
+}
+
 /** Seeds the stable per-agent identity and memory home without overwriting edits. */
 export async function ensureAgentHome(paths: AgentRuntimePaths): Promise<void> {
   await ensureDirectory(join(paths.agentHome, 'memory'))
@@ -94,9 +111,10 @@ export async function materializeCodexHome(input: {
     input.sourceCodexHome ??
     process.env.CODEX_HOME?.trim() ??
     join(homedir(), '.codex')
-  await symlinkIfPresent(
+  await copyIfPresent(
     join(source, 'auth.json'),
     join(input.paths.codexHome, 'auth.json'),
+    { overwrite: true },
   )
   for (const file of ['config.json', 'config.toml', 'instructions.md']) {
     await copyIfPresent(join(source, file), join(input.paths.codexHome, file))
@@ -113,6 +131,23 @@ export async function materializeCodexHome(input: {
   }
 }
 
+/** Prepares the Claude home that Claude Code sees through HOME/.claude. */
+export async function materializeClaudeHome(input: {
+  paths: AgentRuntimePaths
+  sourceClaudeHome?: string
+}): Promise<void> {
+  const source =
+    input.sourceClaudeHome ??
+    process.env.CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR?.trim() ??
+    join(homedir(), '.claude')
+  const target = join(input.paths.agentHome, '.claude')
+  for (const file of ['settings.json', 'CLAUDE.md']) {
+    await copyIfPresent(join(source, file), join(target, file), {
+      overwrite: true,
+    })
+  }
+}
+
 /** Builds stable BrowserOS-managed instructions for Claude/Codex ACP turns. */
 export function buildAcpxRuntimePromptPrefix(input: {
   agent: AgentDefinition
@@ -203,19 +238,17 @@ async function writeFileIfMissing(
   }
 }
 
-async function symlinkIfPresent(source: string, target: string): Promise<void> {
-  if (!(await sourceFileExists(source))) return
-  await ensureDirectory(dirname(target))
-  try {
-    await symlink(source, target)
-  } catch (err) {
-    if (!isAlreadyExistsError(err)) throw err
-  }
-}
-
-async function copyIfPresent(source: string, target: string): Promise<void> {
+async function copyIfPresent(
+  source: string,
+  target: string,
+  opts: { overwrite?: boolean } = {},
+): Promise<void> {
   if (!(await sourceFileExists(source))) return
   const content = await readFile(source, 'utf8')
+  if (opts.overwrite) {
+    await writeFileAtomic(target, content)
+    return
+  }
   await ensureDirectory(dirname(target))
   try {
     await writeFile(target, content, { encoding: 'utf8', flag: 'wx' })
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/acpx-runtime.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/acpx-runtime.ts
index 7374d9de6..f28160502 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/acpx-runtime.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/acpx-runtime.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import { logger } from '../logger'
 import { prepareAcpxAgentContext } from './acpx-agent-adapter'
 import {
   resolveAgentRuntimePaths,
+  resolveVmAgentRuntimePaths,
   wrapCommandWithEnv,
 } from './acpx-runtime-context'
 import { loadLatestRuntimeState } from './acpx-runtime-state'
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ import {
   type OpenclawGatewayAccessor,
   resolveOpenclawAcpCommand,
 } from './openclaw/acp-command'
-import { getHermesRuntime } from './runtime'
+import { getClaudeRuntime, getCodexRuntime, getHermesRuntime } from './runtime'
 import type {
   AgentHistoryPage,
   AgentPromptInput,
@@ -192,10 +193,17 @@ export class AcpxRuntime implements AgentRuntime {
   private async loadLatestSessionRecord(
     agent: AgentPromptInput['agent'],
   ): Promise<AcpSessionRecord | null> {
-    const paths = resolveAgentRuntimePaths({
-      browserosDir: this.browserosDir,
-      agentId: agent.id,
-    })
+    const paths =
+      agent.adapter === 'claude' || agent.adapter === 'codex'
+        ? resolveVmAgentRuntimePaths({
+            browserosDir: this.browserosDir,
+            adapter: agent.adapter,
+            agentId: agent.id,
+          })
+        : resolveAgentRuntimePaths({
+            browserosDir: this.browserosDir,
+            agentId: agent.id,
+          })
     const latest = await loadLatestRuntimeState(paths.runtimeStatePath)
     if (latest) {
       const latestRecord = await this.sessionStore.load(
@@ -706,14 +714,17 @@ function createBrowserosAgentRegistry(input: {
         return wrapCommandWithEnv('hermes acp', input.commandEnv)
       }
 
-      // claude + codex resolve through acpx-core's built-in registry
-      // because the canonical command is an npx wrapper around the
-      // upstream ACP-adapter package (e.g. `npx @zed-industries/codex-acp`),
-      // and the package version range lives inside acpx-core. The
-      // ClaudeRuntime / CodexRuntime registrations still drive health
-      // probing and per-turn prep; only the spawn command source-of-
-      // truth stays in acpx-core.
-      if (lower === 'claude' || lower === 'codex') {
+      if (lower === 'claude') {
+        const runtime = getClaudeRuntime()
+        if (runtime)
+          return runtime.buildExecArgv(runtime.getAcpExecSpec(input.commandEnv))
+        return wrapCommandWithEnv(registry.resolve(agentName), input.commandEnv)
+      }
+
+      if (lower === 'codex') {
+        const runtime = getCodexRuntime()
+        if (runtime)
+          return runtime.buildExecArgv(runtime.getAcpExecSpec(input.commandEnv))
         return wrapCommandWithEnv(registry.resolve(agentName), input.commandEnv)
       }
 
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/claude-container-runtime.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/claude-container-runtime.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..689fc5c91
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/claude-container-runtime.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,216 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright 2025 BrowserOS
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+ */
+
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import {
+  CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME,
+  CLAUDE_IMAGE,
+} from '@browseros/shared/constants/claude'
+import { getBrowserosDir } from '../../browseros-dir'
+import { ContainerCli } from '../../container/container-cli'
+import { ImageLoader } from '../../container/image-loader'
+import type {
+  ContainerDescriptor,
+  ManagedContainerDeps,
+  MountRoot,
+} from '../../container/managed'
+import type { ContainerSpec } from '../../container/types'
+import { logger } from '../../logger'
+import {
+  GUEST_VM_STATE,
+  getLimaHomeDir,
+  resolveBundledLimactl,
+  resolveBundledLimaTemplate,
+  VM_NAME,
+  VmRuntime,
+} from '../../vm'
+import type {
+  PrepareAcpxAgentContextInput,
+  PreparedAcpxAgentContext,
+} from '../acpx-agent-adapter'
+import {
+  finishBrowserosManagedContext,
+  prepareBrowserosManagedContext,
+} from '../acpx-agent-common'
+import {
+  materializeClaudeHome,
+  resolveVmAgentRuntimePaths,
+} from '../acpx-runtime-context'
+import { ContainerAgentRuntime } from './container-agent-runtime'
+import { getAgentRuntimeRegistry } from './registry'
+import type { ExecSpec } from './types'
+
+const CLAUDE_ACP_ARGV = ['claude-agent-acp'] as const
+const CLAUDE_CODE_START_COMMAND =
+  'npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest @agentclientprotocol/claude-agent-acp@^0.31.0 && exec sleep infinity'
+
+export interface ClaudeRuntimeConfig {
+  browserosDir: string
+  claudeHarnessHostDir: string
+}
+
+export class ClaudeRuntime extends ContainerAgentRuntime {
+  readonly descriptor: ContainerDescriptor & { kind: 'container' } = {
+    adapterId: 'claude',
+    displayName: 'Claude Code',
+    kind: 'container',
+    defaultImage: CLAUDE_IMAGE,
+    containerName: CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME,
+    platforms: ['darwin'],
+    readinessProbe: { timeoutMs: 120_000, intervalMs: 500 },
+  }
+
+  private readonly claudeConfig: ClaudeRuntimeConfig
+
+  constructor(deps: ManagedContainerDeps, config: ClaudeRuntimeConfig) {
+    super(deps)
+    this.claudeConfig = config
+  }
+
+  protected mountRoots(): readonly MountRoot[] {
+    return [
+      {
+        hostPath: this.claudeConfig.claudeHarnessHostDir,
+        containerPath: this.claudeConfig.claudeHarnessHostDir,
+        kind: 'shared',
+      },
+    ]
+  }
+
+  protected async buildContainerSpec(): Promise<ContainerSpec> {
+    const guestHarnessDir = `${GUEST_VM_STATE}/claude/harness`
+    const gateway = await this.deps.vm.getDefaultGateway()
+    return {
+      name: CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME,
+      image: CLAUDE_IMAGE,
+      restart: 'unless-stopped',
+      addHosts: [`host.containers.internal:${gateway}`],
+      mounts: [
+        {
+          source: guestHarnessDir,
+          target: this.claudeConfig.claudeHarnessHostDir,
+        },
+      ],
+      entrypoint: '/bin/sh',
+      command: ['-c', CLAUDE_CODE_START_COMMAND],
+    }
+  }
+
+  protected async readinessProbe(): Promise<boolean> {
+    try {
+      const exitCode = await this.deps.cli.exec(this.descriptor.containerName, [
+        'sh',
+        '-lc',
+        'command -v claude >/dev/null && command -v claude-agent-acp >/dev/null',
+      ])
+      return exitCode === 0
+    } catch {
+      return false
+    }
+  }
+
+  getPerAgentHomeDir(agentId: string): string {
+    return resolveVmAgentRuntimePaths({
+      browserosDir: this.claudeConfig.browserosDir,
+      adapter: 'claude',
+      agentId,
+    }).agentHome
+  }
+
+  getAcpExecSpec(commandEnv: Record<string, string>): ExecSpec {
+    return {
+      argv: [...CLAUDE_ACP_ARGV],
+      env: { ...commandEnv },
+    }
+  }
+
+  prepareTurnContext(
+    input: PrepareAcpxAgentContextInput,
+  ): Promise<PreparedAcpxAgentContext> {
+    return prepareClaudeCodeContext(input)
+  }
+}
+
+/** Prepares Claude Code with a VM-visible BrowserOS agent home. */
+export async function prepareClaudeCodeContext(
+  input: PrepareAcpxAgentContextInput,
+): Promise<PreparedAcpxAgentContext> {
+  const paths = resolveVmAgentRuntimePaths({
+    browserosDir: input.browserosDir,
+    adapter: 'claude',
+    agentId: input.agent.id,
+  })
+  const common = await prepareBrowserosManagedContext(input, {
+    paths,
+    isDefaultWorkspace: true,
+  })
+  await materializeClaudeHome({ paths: common.paths })
+  return finishBrowserosManagedContext({
+    ...common,
+    commandEnv: {
+      AGENT_HOME: common.paths.agentHome,
+      HOME: common.paths.agentHome,
+    },
+    browserosMcpHost: 'host.containers.internal',
+  })
+}
+
+export interface ConfigureClaudeRuntimeOptions {
+  resourcesDir?: string
+  browserosDir?: string
+}
+
+export function configureClaudeRuntime(
+  options: ConfigureClaudeRuntimeOptions = {},
+): ClaudeRuntime | null {
+  if (process.platform !== 'darwin') {
+    logger.warn('Claude runtime skipped: unsupported platform', {
+      platform: process.platform,
+    })
+    return null
+  }
+
+  const browserosDir = options.browserosDir ?? getBrowserosDir()
+  const resourcesDir = options.resourcesDir ?? null
+  const limactlPath = resourcesDir
+    ? resolveBundledLimactl(resourcesDir)
+    : 'limactl'
+  const limaHome = getLimaHomeDir(browserosDir)
+  const claudeHostStateDir = join(browserosDir, 'vm', 'claude')
+  const claudeHarnessHostDir = join(claudeHostStateDir, 'harness')
+
+  const vm = new VmRuntime({
+    limactlPath,
+    limaHome,
+    templatePath: resourcesDir
+      ? resolveBundledLimaTemplate(resourcesDir)
+      : undefined,
+    browserosRoot: browserosDir,
+  })
+  const cli = new ContainerCli({ limactlPath, limaHome, vmName: VM_NAME })
+  const loader = new ImageLoader(cli)
+
+  const runtime = new ClaudeRuntime(
+    {
+      cli,
+      loader,
+      vm,
+      limactlPath,
+      limaHome,
+      vmName: VM_NAME,
+      lockDir: join(claudeHostStateDir, '.locks'),
+    },
+    { browserosDir, claudeHarnessHostDir },
+  )
+  getAgentRuntimeRegistry().register(runtime)
+  logger.debug('ClaudeRuntime registered', { image: CLAUDE_IMAGE })
+  return runtime
+}
+
+export function getClaudeRuntime(): ClaudeRuntime | null {
+  const r = getAgentRuntimeRegistry().get('claude')
+  return r instanceof ClaudeRuntime ? r : null
+}
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/claude-host-process-runtime.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/claude-host-process-runtime.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 0cbbd92ab..000000000
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/claude-host-process-runtime.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,93 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @license
- * Copyright 2025 BrowserOS
- * SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
- */
-
-import { getBrowserosDir } from '../../browseros-dir'
-import { logger } from '../../logger'
-import type {
-  PrepareAcpxAgentContextInput,
-  PreparedAcpxAgentContext,
-} from '../acpx-agent-adapter'
-import {
-  finishBrowserosManagedContext,
-  prepareBrowserosManagedContext,
-} from '../acpx-agent-common'
-import { resolveAgentRuntimePaths } from '../acpx-runtime-context'
-import { HostProcessAgentRuntime } from './host-process-agent-runtime'
-import { getAgentRuntimeRegistry } from './registry'
-import type { RuntimeDescriptor } from './types'
-
-const CLAUDE_BINARY = 'claude'
-
-export interface ClaudeRuntimeConfig {
-  browserosDir: string
-}
-
-export class ClaudeRuntime extends HostProcessAgentRuntime {
-  readonly descriptor: RuntimeDescriptor & { kind: 'host-process' } = {
-    adapterId: 'claude',
-    displayName: 'Claude Code',
-    kind: 'host-process',
-    platforms: ['darwin', 'linux'],
-  }
-
-  private readonly claudeConfig: ClaudeRuntimeConfig
-
-  constructor(
-    deps: ConstructorParameters<typeof HostProcessAgentRuntime>[0],
-    config: ClaudeRuntimeConfig,
-  ) {
-    super(deps)
-    this.claudeConfig = config
-  }
-
-  getPerAgentHomeDir(agentId: string): string {
-    return resolveAgentRuntimePaths({
-      browserosDir: this.claudeConfig.browserosDir,
-      agentId,
-    }).agentHome
-  }
-
-  prepareTurnContext(
-    input: PrepareAcpxAgentContextInput,
-  ): Promise<PreparedAcpxAgentContext> {
-    return prepareClaudeCodeContext(input)
-  }
-}
-
-/** Prepares Claude Code with BrowserOS agent home while preserving host Claude auth. */
-export async function prepareClaudeCodeContext(
-  input: PrepareAcpxAgentContextInput,
-): Promise<PreparedAcpxAgentContext> {
-  const common = await prepareBrowserosManagedContext(input)
-  return finishBrowserosManagedContext({
-    ...common,
-    commandEnv: {
-      AGENT_HOME: common.paths.agentHome,
-    },
-  })
-}
-
-export interface ConfigureClaudeRuntimeOptions {
-  browserosDir?: string
-}
-
-export function configureClaudeRuntime(
-  options: ConfigureClaudeRuntimeOptions = {},
-): ClaudeRuntime {
-  const browserosDir = options.browserosDir ?? getBrowserosDir()
-  const runtime = new ClaudeRuntime(
-    { binaryName: CLAUDE_BINARY },
-    { browserosDir },
-  )
-  getAgentRuntimeRegistry().register(runtime)
-  logger.debug('ClaudeRuntime registered', { binary: CLAUDE_BINARY })
-  return runtime
-}
-
-export function getClaudeRuntime(): ClaudeRuntime | null {
-  const r = getAgentRuntimeRegistry().get('claude')
-  return r instanceof ClaudeRuntime ? r : null
-}
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/codex-container-runtime.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/codex-container-runtime.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c3a5f8138
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/codex-container-runtime.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,220 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright 2025 BrowserOS
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+ */
+
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import {
+  CODEX_CONTAINER_NAME,
+  CODEX_IMAGE,
+} from '@browseros/shared/constants/codex'
+import { getBrowserosDir } from '../../browseros-dir'
+import { ContainerCli } from '../../container/container-cli'
+import { ImageLoader } from '../../container/image-loader'
+import type {
+  ContainerDescriptor,
+  ManagedContainerDeps,
+  MountRoot,
+} from '../../container/managed'
+import type { ContainerSpec } from '../../container/types'
+import { logger } from '../../logger'
+import {
+  GUEST_VM_STATE,
+  getLimaHomeDir,
+  resolveBundledLimactl,
+  resolveBundledLimaTemplate,
+  VM_NAME,
+  VmRuntime,
+} from '../../vm'
+import type {
+  PrepareAcpxAgentContextInput,
+  PreparedAcpxAgentContext,
+} from '../acpx-agent-adapter'
+import {
+  finishBrowserosManagedContext,
+  prepareBrowserosManagedContext,
+} from '../acpx-agent-common'
+import {
+  materializeCodexHome,
+  resolveVmAgentRuntimePaths,
+} from '../acpx-runtime-context'
+import { ContainerAgentRuntime } from './container-agent-runtime'
+import { getAgentRuntimeRegistry } from './registry'
+import type { ExecSpec } from './types'
+
+const CODEX_ACP_ARGV = ['codex-acp'] as const
+const CODEX_START_COMMAND =
+  'apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends ca-certificates libssl3 && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* && npm install -g @openai/codex@latest @zed-industries/codex-acp@^0.12.0 && exec sleep infinity'
+
+export interface CodexRuntimeConfig {
+  browserosDir: string
+  codexHarnessHostDir: string
+}
+
+export class CodexRuntime extends ContainerAgentRuntime {
+  readonly descriptor: ContainerDescriptor & { kind: 'container' } = {
+    adapterId: 'codex',
+    displayName: 'Codex',
+    kind: 'container',
+    defaultImage: CODEX_IMAGE,
+    containerName: CODEX_CONTAINER_NAME,
+    platforms: ['darwin'],
+    readinessProbe: { timeoutMs: 120_000, intervalMs: 500 },
+  }
+
+  private readonly codexConfig: CodexRuntimeConfig
+
+  constructor(deps: ManagedContainerDeps, config: CodexRuntimeConfig) {
+    super(deps)
+    this.codexConfig = config
+  }
+
+  protected mountRoots(): readonly MountRoot[] {
+    return [
+      {
+        hostPath: this.codexConfig.codexHarnessHostDir,
+        containerPath: this.codexConfig.codexHarnessHostDir,
+        kind: 'shared',
+      },
+    ]
+  }
+
+  protected async buildContainerSpec(): Promise<ContainerSpec> {
+    const guestHarnessDir = `${GUEST_VM_STATE}/codex/harness`
+    const gateway = await this.deps.vm.getDefaultGateway()
+    return {
+      name: CODEX_CONTAINER_NAME,
+      image: CODEX_IMAGE,
+      restart: 'unless-stopped',
+      addHosts: [`host.containers.internal:${gateway}`],
+      mounts: [
+        {
+          source: guestHarnessDir,
+          target: this.codexConfig.codexHarnessHostDir,
+        },
+      ],
+      entrypoint: '/bin/sh',
+      command: ['-c', CODEX_START_COMMAND],
+    }
+  }
+
+  protected async readinessProbe(): Promise<boolean> {
+    try {
+      const exitCode = await this.deps.cli.exec(this.descriptor.containerName, [
+        'sh',
+        '-lc',
+        'command -v codex >/dev/null && command -v codex-acp >/dev/null && codex-acp --help >/dev/null',
+      ])
+      return exitCode === 0
+    } catch {
+      return false
+    }
+  }
+
+  getPerAgentHomeDir(agentId: string): string {
+    return resolveVmAgentRuntimePaths({
+      browserosDir: this.codexConfig.browserosDir,
+      adapter: 'codex',
+      agentId,
+    }).agentHome
+  }
+
+  getAcpExecSpec(commandEnv: Record<string, string>): ExecSpec {
+    return {
+      argv: [...CODEX_ACP_ARGV],
+      env: { ...commandEnv },
+    }
+  }
+
+  prepareTurnContext(
+    input: PrepareAcpxAgentContextInput,
+  ): Promise<PreparedAcpxAgentContext> {
+    return prepareCodexContext(input)
+  }
+}
+
+/** Prepares Codex with VM-visible AGENT_HOME and CODEX_HOME. */
+export async function prepareCodexContext(
+  input: PrepareAcpxAgentContextInput,
+): Promise<PreparedAcpxAgentContext> {
+  const paths = resolveVmAgentRuntimePaths({
+    browserosDir: input.browserosDir,
+    adapter: 'codex',
+    agentId: input.agent.id,
+  })
+  const common = await prepareBrowserosManagedContext(input, {
+    paths,
+    isDefaultWorkspace: true,
+  })
+  await materializeCodexHome({
+    paths: common.paths,
+    skillNames: common.skillNames,
+  })
+  return finishBrowserosManagedContext({
+    ...common,
+    commandEnv: {
+      AGENT_HOME: common.paths.agentHome,
+      CODEX_HOME: common.paths.codexHome,
+      HOME: common.paths.agentHome,
+    },
+    browserosMcpHost: 'host.containers.internal',
+  })
+}
+
+export interface ConfigureCodexRuntimeOptions {
+  resourcesDir?: string
+  browserosDir?: string
+}
+
+export function configureCodexRuntime(
+  options: ConfigureCodexRuntimeOptions = {},
+): CodexRuntime | null {
+  if (process.platform !== 'darwin') {
+    logger.warn('Codex runtime skipped: unsupported platform', {
+      platform: process.platform,
+    })
+    return null
+  }
+
+  const browserosDir = options.browserosDir ?? getBrowserosDir()
+  const resourcesDir = options.resourcesDir ?? null
+  const limactlPath = resourcesDir
+    ? resolveBundledLimactl(resourcesDir)
+    : 'limactl'
+  const limaHome = getLimaHomeDir(browserosDir)
+  const codexHostStateDir = join(browserosDir, 'vm', 'codex')
+  const codexHarnessHostDir = join(codexHostStateDir, 'harness')
+
+  const vm = new VmRuntime({
+    limactlPath,
+    limaHome,
+    templatePath: resourcesDir
+      ? resolveBundledLimaTemplate(resourcesDir)
+      : undefined,
+    browserosRoot: browserosDir,
+  })
+  const cli = new ContainerCli({ limactlPath, limaHome, vmName: VM_NAME })
+  const loader = new ImageLoader(cli)
+
+  const runtime = new CodexRuntime(
+    {
+      cli,
+      loader,
+      vm,
+      limactlPath,
+      limaHome,
+      vmName: VM_NAME,
+      lockDir: join(codexHostStateDir, '.locks'),
+    },
+    { browserosDir, codexHarnessHostDir },
+  )
+  getAgentRuntimeRegistry().register(runtime)
+  logger.debug('CodexRuntime registered', { image: CODEX_IMAGE })
+  return runtime
+}
+
+export function getCodexRuntime(): CodexRuntime | null {
+  const r = getAgentRuntimeRegistry().get('codex')
+  return r instanceof CodexRuntime ? r : null
+}
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/codex-host-process-runtime.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/codex-host-process-runtime.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 0deb621d5..000000000
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/codex-host-process-runtime.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,101 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @license
- * Copyright 2025 BrowserOS
- * SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
- */
-
-import { getBrowserosDir } from '../../browseros-dir'
-import { logger } from '../../logger'
-import type {
-  PrepareAcpxAgentContextInput,
-  PreparedAcpxAgentContext,
-} from '../acpx-agent-adapter'
-import {
-  finishBrowserosManagedContext,
-  prepareBrowserosManagedContext,
-} from '../acpx-agent-common'
-import {
-  materializeCodexHome,
-  resolveAgentRuntimePaths,
-} from '../acpx-runtime-context'
-import { HostProcessAgentRuntime } from './host-process-agent-runtime'
-import { getAgentRuntimeRegistry } from './registry'
-import type { RuntimeDescriptor } from './types'
-
-const CODEX_BINARY = 'codex'
-
-export interface CodexRuntimeConfig {
-  browserosDir: string
-}
-
-export class CodexRuntime extends HostProcessAgentRuntime {
-  readonly descriptor: RuntimeDescriptor & { kind: 'host-process' } = {
-    adapterId: 'codex',
-    displayName: 'Codex',
-    kind: 'host-process',
-    platforms: ['darwin', 'linux'],
-  }
-
-  private readonly codexConfig: CodexRuntimeConfig
-
-  constructor(
-    deps: ConstructorParameters<typeof HostProcessAgentRuntime>[0],
-    config: CodexRuntimeConfig,
-  ) {
-    super(deps)
-    this.codexConfig = config
-  }
-
-  getPerAgentHomeDir(agentId: string): string {
-    return resolveAgentRuntimePaths({
-      browserosDir: this.codexConfig.browserosDir,
-      agentId,
-    }).agentHome
-  }
-
-  prepareTurnContext(
-    input: PrepareAcpxAgentContextInput,
-  ): Promise<PreparedAcpxAgentContext> {
-    return prepareCodexContext(input)
-  }
-}
-
-/** Prepares Codex with a contained CODEX_HOME and BrowserOS agent home. */
-export async function prepareCodexContext(
-  input: PrepareAcpxAgentContextInput,
-): Promise<PreparedAcpxAgentContext> {
-  const common = await prepareBrowserosManagedContext(input)
-  await materializeCodexHome({
-    paths: common.paths,
-    skillNames: common.skillNames,
-  })
-  return finishBrowserosManagedContext({
-    ...common,
-    commandEnv: {
-      AGENT_HOME: common.paths.agentHome,
-      CODEX_HOME: common.paths.codexHome,
-    },
-  })
-}
-
-export interface ConfigureCodexRuntimeOptions {
-  browserosDir?: string
-}
-
-export function configureCodexRuntime(
-  options: ConfigureCodexRuntimeOptions = {},
-): CodexRuntime {
-  const browserosDir = options.browserosDir ?? getBrowserosDir()
-  const runtime = new CodexRuntime(
-    { binaryName: CODEX_BINARY },
-    { browserosDir },
-  )
-  getAgentRuntimeRegistry().register(runtime)
-  logger.debug('CodexRuntime registered', { binary: CODEX_BINARY })
-  return runtime
-}
-
-export function getCodexRuntime(): CodexRuntime | null {
-  const r = getAgentRuntimeRegistry().get('codex')
-  return r instanceof CodexRuntime ? r : null
-}
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/container-agent-runtime.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/container-agent-runtime.ts
index d27b032ae..3a7732180 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/container-agent-runtime.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/container-agent-runtime.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import type {
   ContainerStatusSnapshot,
 } from '../../container/managed'
 import { ManagedContainer } from '../../container/managed'
+import { logger } from '../../logger'
 import type { AgentRuntime } from './agent-runtime'
 import { ActionNotSupportedError } from './errors'
 import type {
@@ -119,3 +120,42 @@ function actionToCapability(action: RuntimeAction): RuntimeCapability {
   // sub-capabilities) without re-flowing the dispatcher.
   return action.type as RuntimeCapability
 }
+
+export function startContainerRuntimeBestEffort(
+  configure: () => ContainerAgentRuntime | null,
+): ContainerAgentRuntime | null {
+  let runtime: ContainerAgentRuntime | null
+  try {
+    runtime = configure()
+  } catch (err) {
+    logger.warn(
+      'Container runtime configuration failed, continuing without it',
+      {
+        error: err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err),
+      },
+    )
+    return null
+  }
+
+  if (!runtime) return null
+
+  scheduleContainerRuntimeAction(runtime, { type: 'install' }, 'prewarm failed')
+  scheduleContainerRuntimeAction(
+    runtime,
+    { type: 'start' },
+    'container start failed',
+  )
+  return runtime
+}
+
+function scheduleContainerRuntimeAction(
+  runtime: ContainerAgentRuntime,
+  action: RuntimeAction,
+  failureMessage: string,
+): void {
+  void runtime.executeAction(action).catch((err) =>
+    logger.warn(`${runtime.descriptor.displayName} ${failureMessage}`, {
+      error: err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err),
+    }),
+  )
+}
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/hermes-container-runtime.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/hermes-container-runtime.ts
index d7cafddf8..343cb7d79 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/hermes-container-runtime.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/hermes-container-runtime.ts
@@ -254,16 +254,6 @@ export interface ConfigureHermesRuntimeOptions {
   browserosDir?: string
 }
 
-export type HermesRuntimeStartupPhase = 'configure' | 'install' | 'start'
-
-export interface StartHermesRuntimeBestEffortOptions
-  extends ConfigureHermesRuntimeOptions {
-  configureRuntime?: (
-    options: ConfigureHermesRuntimeOptions,
-  ) => HermesContainerRuntime | null
-  onError?: (phase: HermesRuntimeStartupPhase, error: unknown) => void
-}
-
 /**
  * Build a `HermesContainerRuntime` with production deps (bundled
  * limactl, BrowserOS state dirs, Lima VM runtime) and register it in
@@ -322,55 +312,8 @@ export function configureHermesRuntime(
   return runtime
 }
 
-/**
- * Startup wiring for the Hermes adapter. Kept beside the adapter runtime so
- * the server entry point does not need to know Hermes' install/start sequence.
- */
-export function startHermesRuntimeBestEffort(
-  options: StartHermesRuntimeBestEffortOptions = {},
-): HermesContainerRuntime | null {
-  const {
-    configureRuntime = configureHermesRuntime,
-    onError = logHermesStartupError,
-    ...configureOptions
-  } = options
-
-  let runtime: HermesContainerRuntime | null
-  try {
-    runtime = configureRuntime(configureOptions)
-  } catch (err) {
-    onError('configure', err)
-    return null
-  }
-
-  if (!runtime) return null
-
-  void runtime
-    .executeAction({ type: 'install' })
-    .catch((err) => onError('install', err))
-  void runtime
-    .executeAction({ type: 'start' })
-    .catch((err) => onError('start', err))
-  return runtime
-}
-
 /** Convenience getter — returns the registered runtime or null. */
 export function getHermesRuntime(): HermesContainerRuntime | null {
   const r = getAgentRuntimeRegistry().get('hermes')
   return r instanceof HermesContainerRuntime ? r : null
 }
-
-function logHermesStartupError(
-  phase: HermesRuntimeStartupPhase,
-  error: unknown,
-): void {
-  const message =
-    phase === 'configure'
-      ? 'Hermes container configuration failed, continuing without it'
-      : phase === 'install'
-        ? 'Hermes prewarm failed'
-        : 'Hermes container start failed'
-  logger.warn(message, {
-    error: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
-  })
-}
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/index.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/index.ts
index f12d3d748..748ce583d 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/index.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/agents/runtime/index.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ export {
   configureClaudeRuntime,
   getClaudeRuntime,
   prepareClaudeCodeContext,
-} from './claude-host-process-runtime'
+} from './claude-container-runtime'
 export {
   CodexRuntime,
   type CodexRuntimeConfig,
@@ -20,8 +20,11 @@ export {
   configureCodexRuntime,
   getCodexRuntime,
   prepareCodexContext,
-} from './codex-host-process-runtime'
-export { ContainerAgentRuntime } from './container-agent-runtime'
+} from './codex-container-runtime'
+export {
+  ContainerAgentRuntime,
+  startContainerRuntimeBestEffort,
+} from './container-agent-runtime'
 export { ActionNotSupportedError, RuntimeNotReadyError } from './errors'
 export {
   type ConfigureHermesRuntimeOptions,
@@ -30,8 +33,6 @@ export {
   HermesContainerRuntime,
   type HermesContainerRuntimeConfig,
   prepareHermesContext,
-  type StartHermesRuntimeBestEffortOptions,
-  startHermesRuntimeBestEffort,
 } from './hermes-container-runtime'
 export {
   HostProcessAgentRuntime,
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/container/managed/managed-container.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/container/managed/managed-container.ts
index 388e11da3..caa9a5c8c 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/container/managed/managed-container.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/container/managed/managed-container.ts
@@ -206,8 +206,13 @@ export abstract class ManagedContainer {
           intervalMs: probeOpts?.intervalMs ?? 500,
         })
         // Run the subclass-defined probe — usually a `--version` exec
-        // or HTTP /readyz call. Failing this is errored, not stopped.
-        const probeOk = await this.readinessProbe()
+        // or HTTP /readyz call. The container can report running
+        // before its entrypoint has completed setup, so retry within
+        // the same readiness budget before marking it errored.
+        const probeOk = await this.waitForReadinessProbe({
+          timeoutMs: probeOpts?.timeoutMs ?? 30_000,
+          intervalMs: probeOpts?.intervalMs ?? 500,
+        })
         if (!probeOk) {
           this.setState(
             'errored',
@@ -228,6 +233,18 @@ export abstract class ManagedContainer {
     })
   }
 
+  private async waitForReadinessProbe(opts: {
+    timeoutMs: number
+    intervalMs: number
+  }): Promise<boolean> {
+    const deadline = Date.now() + opts.timeoutMs
+    while (true) {
+      if (await this.readinessProbe()) return true
+      if (Date.now() >= deadline) return false
+      await Bun.sleep(Math.min(opts.intervalMs, deadline - Date.now()))
+    }
+  }
+
   /** Stop and remove the container. Image and per-agent data preserved. */
   async stop(): Promise<void> {
     return this.withLifecycleLock('stop', async () => {
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/vm/vm-runtime.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/vm/vm-runtime.ts
index 9629992fc..556314e3e 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/vm/vm-runtime.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/lib/vm/vm-runtime.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import { VM_TELEMETRY_EVENTS } from './telemetry'
 
 export type LogFn = (msg: string) => void
 const ROOTLESS_CONTAINERD_MARKER = 'runtime:containerd-rootless'
+const ensureReadyPromises = new Map<string, Promise<void>>()
 
 export interface VmRuntimeDeps {
   limactlPath: string
@@ -43,6 +44,30 @@ export class VmRuntime {
   }
 
   async ensureReady(onLog?: LogFn): Promise<void> {
+    const lockKey = this.ensureReadyLockKey()
+    const existing = ensureReadyPromises.get(lockKey)
+    if (existing) {
+      onLog?.('Waiting for BrowserOS VM...')
+      await existing
+      return
+    }
+
+    const promise = this.ensureReadyOnce(onLog)
+    ensureReadyPromises.set(lockKey, promise)
+    try {
+      await promise
+    } finally {
+      if (ensureReadyPromises.get(lockKey) === promise) {
+        ensureReadyPromises.delete(lockKey)
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  private ensureReadyLockKey(): string {
+    return `${this.deps.limaHome}:${VM_NAME}`
+  }
+
+  private async ensureReadyOnce(onLog?: LogFn): Promise<void> {
     const started = Date.now()
     logger.info(VM_TELEMETRY_EVENTS.ensureReadyStart, {
       limaHome: this.deps.limaHome,
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/main.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/main.ts
index 2ec8e5a65..047e46865 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/main.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/src/main.ts
@@ -24,8 +24,11 @@ import { INLINED_ENV } from './env'
 import {
   configureClaudeRuntime,
   configureCodexRuntime,
+  configureHermesRuntime,
+  getClaudeRuntime,
+  getCodexRuntime,
   getHermesRuntime,
-  startHermesRuntimeBestEffort,
+  startContainerRuntimeBestEffort,
 } from './lib/agents/runtime'
 import {
   cleanOldSessions,
@@ -66,8 +69,6 @@ export class Application {
 
     const resourcesDir = path.resolve(this.config.resourcesDir)
     configureVmRuntime({ resourcesDir })
-    configureClaudeRuntime()
-    configureCodexRuntime()
     await this.initCoreServices()
 
     if (!this.config.cdpPort) {
@@ -158,7 +159,15 @@ export class Application {
       })
     }
 
-    startHermesRuntimeBestEffort({ resourcesDir })
+    startContainerRuntimeBestEffort(() =>
+      configureClaudeRuntime({ resourcesDir }),
+    )
+    startContainerRuntimeBestEffort(() =>
+      configureCodexRuntime({ resourcesDir }),
+    )
+    startContainerRuntimeBestEffort(() =>
+      configureHermesRuntime({ resourcesDir }),
+    )
 
     metrics.log('http_server.started', { version: VERSION })
   }
@@ -172,6 +181,12 @@ export class Application {
     getHermesRuntime()
       ?.executeAction({ type: 'stop' })
       .catch(() => {})
+    getClaudeRuntime()
+      ?.executeAction({ type: 'stop' })
+      .catch(() => {})
+    getCodexRuntime()
+      ?.executeAction({ type: 'stop' })
+      .catch(() => {})
     removeServerConfigSync()
 
     // Immediate exit without graceful shutdown. Chromium may kill us on update/restart,
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/api/routes/terminal-protocol.test.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/api/routes/terminal-protocol.test.ts
index 606663968..7fb675168 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/api/routes/terminal-protocol.test.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/api/routes/terminal-protocol.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
  */
 
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'bun:test'
+import { CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME } from '@browseros/shared/constants/claude'
 import { OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_CONTAINER_NAME } from '@browseros/shared/constants/openclaw'
 import {
   parseTerminalClientMessage,
@@ -12,7 +13,8 @@ import {
 import {
   buildTerminalEnv,
   buildTerminalExecCommand,
-  TERMINAL_HOME_DIR,
+  listTerminalTargets,
+  resolveTerminalTarget,
 } from '../../../src/api/services/terminal/terminal-session'
 
 describe('terminal protocol', () => {
@@ -56,8 +58,10 @@ describe('terminal protocol', () => {
       buildTerminalExecCommand(
         'limactl',
         'browseros-vm',
-        OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_CONTAINER_NAME,
-        TERMINAL_HOME_DIR,
+        resolveTerminalTarget({
+          browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros',
+          target: 'openclaw',
+        }),
       ),
     ).toEqual([
       'limactl',
@@ -74,6 +78,61 @@ describe('terminal protocol', () => {
     ])
   })
 
+  it('builds a Claude terminal command with the selected agent home', () => {
+    const target = resolveTerminalTarget({
+      browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros',
+      target: 'claude',
+      agentId: 'agent-1',
+    })
+
+    const agentHome = '/tmp/browseros/vm/claude/harness/agent-1/home'
+    expect(target).toMatchObject({
+      id: 'claude',
+      containerName: CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME,
+      workingDir: agentHome,
+      env: {
+        AGENT_HOME: agentHome,
+        HOME: agentHome,
+      },
+    })
+    expect(buildTerminalExecCommand('limactl', 'browseros-vm', target)).toEqual(
+      [
+        'limactl',
+        'shell',
+        'browseros-vm',
+        '--',
+        'nerdctl',
+        'exec',
+        '-it',
+        '-e',
+        `AGENT_HOME=${agentHome}`,
+        '-e',
+        `HOME=${agentHome}`,
+        '-w',
+        agentHome,
+        CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME,
+        '/bin/sh',
+      ],
+    )
+  })
+
+  it('lists only running managed terminal targets for an agent', () => {
+    expect(
+      listTerminalTargets({
+        browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros',
+        agentId: 'agent-1',
+        runningContainers: new Set([CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME]),
+      }),
+    ).toEqual([
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        id: 'claude',
+        label: 'Claude Code runtime',
+        containerName: CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME,
+        running: true,
+      }),
+    ])
+  })
+
   it('sets LIMA_HOME for terminal limactl sessions', () => {
     expect(buildTerminalEnv('/tmp/browseros-lima')).toEqual(
       expect.objectContaining({
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/api/routes/terminal.test.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/api/routes/terminal.test.ts
index 588a61174..a06874a8e 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/api/routes/terminal.test.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/api/routes/terminal.test.ts
@@ -4,10 +4,21 @@
  */
 
 import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, mock } from 'bun:test'
+import { mkdtemp, rm } from 'node:fs/promises'
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import { CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME } from '@browseros/shared/constants/claude'
 
 describe('createTerminalSocketEvents', () => {
+  const tempDirs: string[] = []
+
   afterEach(() => {
     mock.restore()
+    return Promise.all(
+      tempDirs.map((dir) => rm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true })),
+    ).then(() => {
+      tempDirs.length = 0
+    })
   })
 
   it('resolves limactl only when a terminal socket opens', async () => {
@@ -34,6 +45,7 @@ describe('createTerminalSocketEvents', () => {
     const resolveLimactlPath = mock(() => '/tmp/fake-limactl')
 
     const events = createTerminalSocketEvents({
+      browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros',
       containerName: 'gateway',
       limaHome: '/tmp/lima',
       limactlPath: resolveLimactlPath,
@@ -47,11 +59,69 @@ describe('createTerminalSocketEvents', () => {
     expect(resolveLimactlPath).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
     expect(createTerminalSession).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
       expect.objectContaining({
+        target: expect.objectContaining({ containerName: 'gateway' }),
+        limaHome: '/tmp/lima',
+        limactlPath: '/tmp/fake-limactl',
+        vmName: 'browseros-vm',
+      }),
+    )
+    expect(close).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
+  it('opens a Claude terminal target for the selected agent', async () => {
+    const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-terminal-'))
+    tempDirs.push(browserosDir)
+    const close = mock(() => {})
+    const send = mock(() => {})
+    const session = {
+      close: mock(() => {}),
+      resize: mock(() => {}),
+      writeInput: mock(() => {}),
+    }
+    const createTerminalSession = mock(() => session)
+    const actualTerminalSession = await import(
+      '../../../src/api/services/terminal/terminal-session'
+    )
+
+    mock.module('../../../src/api/services/terminal/terminal-session', () => ({
+      ...actualTerminalSession,
+      createTerminalSession,
+    }))
+
+    const { createTerminalSocketEvents } = await import(
+      '../../../src/api/routes/terminal'
+    )
+    const events = createTerminalSocketEvents(
+      {
+        browserosDir,
         containerName: 'gateway',
         limaHome: '/tmp/lima',
         limactlPath: '/tmp/fake-limactl',
         vmName: 'browseros-vm',
-        workingDir: actualTerminalSession.TERMINAL_HOME_DIR,
+      },
+      { target: 'claude', agentId: 'agent-1' },
+    )
+
+    events.onOpen(new Event('open'), { send, close })
+
+    const agentHome = join(
+      browserosDir,
+      'vm',
+      'claude',
+      'harness',
+      'agent-1',
+      'home',
+    )
+    expect(createTerminalSession).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        target: expect.objectContaining({
+          containerName: CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME,
+          workingDir: agentHome,
+          env: {
+            AGENT_HOME: agentHome,
+            HOME: agentHome,
+          },
+        }),
       }),
     )
     expect(close).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
@@ -76,6 +146,7 @@ describe('createTerminalSocketEvents', () => {
       '../../../src/api/routes/terminal'
     )
     const events = createTerminalSocketEvents({
+      browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros',
       containerName: 'gateway',
       limaHome: '/tmp/lima',
       limactlPath: () => {
@@ -93,3 +164,35 @@ describe('createTerminalSocketEvents', () => {
     expect(close).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
   })
 })
+
+describe('createTerminalRoutes', () => {
+  afterEach(() => {
+    mock.restore()
+  })
+
+  it('returns running managed terminal targets', async () => {
+    const { createTerminalRoutes } = await import(
+      '../../../src/api/routes/terminal'
+    )
+    const route = createTerminalRoutes({
+      browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros',
+      containerName: 'gateway',
+      limaHome: '/tmp/lima',
+      limactlPath: '/tmp/fake-limactl',
+      vmName: 'browseros-vm',
+      listRunningContainers: async () => [CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME],
+    })
+
+    const res = await route.request('/targets?agentId=agent-1')
+    expect(res.status).toBe(200)
+    expect(await res.json()).toEqual({
+      targets: [
+        expect.objectContaining({
+          id: 'claude',
+          containerName: CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME,
+          running: true,
+        }),
+      ],
+    })
+  })
+})
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/acpx-runtime-context.test.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/acpx-runtime-context.test.ts
index 5e435d3d5..749678add 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/acpx-runtime-context.test.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/acpx-runtime-context.test.ts
@@ -6,11 +6,11 @@
 import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from 'bun:test'
 import {
   chmod,
-  lstat,
   mkdir,
   mkdtemp,
   readFile,
   rm,
+  stat,
   writeFile,
 } from 'node:fs/promises'
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import {
   buildAcpxRuntimePromptPrefix,
   ensureAgentHome,
   ensureRuntimeSkills,
+  materializeClaudeHome,
   materializeCodexHome,
   resolveAgentRuntimePaths,
   wrapCommandWithEnv,
@@ -161,7 +162,7 @@ describe('acpx runtime context helpers', () => {
     expect(await readFile(skillPath, 'utf8')).toContain('BrowserOS MCP')
   })
 
-  it('materializes Codex home with auth symlink and all runtime skills', async () => {
+  it('materializes Codex home with copied auth and all runtime skills', async () => {
     const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-context-'))
     const sourceCodexHome = await mkdtemp(
       join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-codex-src-'),
@@ -174,8 +175,11 @@ describe('acpx runtime context helpers', () => {
 
     await materializeCodexHome({ paths, skillNames: skills, sourceCodexHome })
 
-    const auth = await lstat(join(paths.codexHome, 'auth.json'))
-    expect(auth.isSymbolicLink()).toBe(true)
+    const auth = await stat(join(paths.codexHome, 'auth.json'))
+    expect(auth.isFile()).toBe(true)
+    expect(await readFile(join(paths.codexHome, 'auth.json'), 'utf8')).toBe(
+      '{"ok":true}\n',
+    )
     expect(await readFile(join(paths.codexHome, 'config.toml'), 'utf8')).toBe(
       'model = "test"\n',
     )
@@ -187,6 +191,32 @@ describe('acpx runtime context helpers', () => {
     ).toContain('BrowserOS MCP')
   })
 
+  it('materializes Claude home with portable settings under HOME/.claude', async () => {
+    const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-context-'))
+    const sourceClaudeHome = await mkdtemp(
+      join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-claude-src-'),
+    )
+    tempDirs.push(browserosDir, sourceClaudeHome)
+    await writeFile(
+      join(sourceClaudeHome, 'settings.json'),
+      '{"apiKeyHelper":"echo test"}\n',
+    )
+    await writeFile(join(sourceClaudeHome, 'CLAUDE.md'), '# User memory\n')
+    const paths = resolveAgentRuntimePaths({ browserosDir, agentId: 'agent-1' })
+
+    await materializeClaudeHome({
+      paths,
+      sourceClaudeHome,
+    })
+
+    expect(
+      await readFile(join(paths.agentHome, '.claude', 'settings.json'), 'utf8'),
+    ).toBe('{"apiKeyHelper":"echo test"}\n')
+    expect(
+      await readFile(join(paths.agentHome, '.claude', 'CLAUDE.md'), 'utf8'),
+    ).toBe('# User memory\n')
+  })
+
   it('rejects non-file Codex auth sources instead of silently skipping auth', async () => {
     const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-context-'))
     const sourceCodexHome = await mkdtemp(
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/acpx-runtime.test.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/acpx-runtime.test.ts
index 00a3e6482..0eb2b2d9c 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/acpx-runtime.test.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/acpx-runtime.test.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ import {
 } from '../../../src/lib/agents/acpx-runtime'
 import type { AgentDefinition } from '../../../src/lib/agents/agent-types'
 import {
+  ClaudeRuntime,
+  CodexRuntime,
   getAgentRuntimeRegistry,
   HermesContainerRuntime,
   resetAgentRuntimeRegistry,
@@ -42,15 +44,23 @@ describe('AcpxRuntime', () => {
 
   it('uses acpx/runtime to ensure a session and stream a turn', async () => {
     const cwd = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-runtime-'))
+    const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(
+      join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-browseros-'),
+    )
     const stateDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-state-'))
-    tempDirs.push(cwd, stateDir)
+    tempDirs.push(cwd, browserosDir, stateDir)
     const calls: Array<{ method: string; input: unknown }> = []
     const runtimeFactory = (options: AcpRuntimeOptions): AcpxCoreRuntime => {
       calls.push({ method: 'createRuntime', input: options })
       return createFakeAcpRuntime(calls)
     }
 
-    const runtime = new AcpxRuntime({ cwd, stateDir, runtimeFactory })
+    const runtime = new AcpxRuntime({
+      browserosDir,
+      cwd,
+      stateDir,
+      runtimeFactory,
+    })
     const agent: AgentDefinition = {
       id: 'agent-1',
       name: 'Review bot',
@@ -78,8 +88,15 @@ describe('AcpxRuntime', () => {
       'setConfigOption',
       'startTurn',
     ])
+    const expectedCwd = join(
+      browserosDir,
+      'vm',
+      'codex',
+      'harness',
+      'workspace',
+    )
     expect(calls[0]?.input).toMatchObject({
-      cwd,
+      cwd: expectedCwd,
       permissionMode: 'approve-all',
       nonInteractivePermissions: 'fail',
     })
@@ -87,7 +104,7 @@ describe('AcpxRuntime', () => {
       sessionKey: expect.stringMatching(/^agent:agent-1:main:[a-f0-9]{16}$/),
       agent: 'codex',
       mode: 'persistent',
-      cwd,
+      cwd: expectedCwd,
     })
     expect(calls[2]?.input).toMatchObject({
       key: 'reasoning_effort',
@@ -152,7 +169,13 @@ describe('AcpxRuntime', () => {
       }),
     )
 
-    const expectedCwd = join(browserosDir, 'agents', 'harness', 'workspace')
+    const expectedCwd = join(
+      browserosDir,
+      'vm',
+      'claude',
+      'harness',
+      'workspace',
+    )
     expect(calls[0]?.input).toMatchObject({ cwd: expectedCwd })
     expect(calls[1]?.input).toMatchObject({ cwd: expectedCwd })
     expect((calls[1]?.input as { sessionKey: string }).sessionKey).toMatch(
@@ -167,7 +190,7 @@ describe('AcpxRuntime', () => {
     expect(text).toContain('<user_request>\nremember this\n</user_request>')
   })
 
-  it('uses selected cwd in the runtime fingerprint', async () => {
+  it('ignores selected host cwd for container runtime fingerprint', async () => {
     const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(
       join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-browseros-'),
     )
@@ -196,14 +219,21 @@ describe('AcpxRuntime', () => {
       }),
     )
 
-    expect(calls[0]?.input).toMatchObject({ cwd: selected })
-    expect(calls[1]?.input).toMatchObject({ cwd: selected })
+    const expectedCwd = join(
+      browserosDir,
+      'vm',
+      'codex',
+      'harness',
+      'workspace',
+    )
+    expect(calls[0]?.input).toMatchObject({ cwd: expectedCwd })
+    expect(calls[1]?.input).toMatchObject({ cwd: expectedCwd })
     expect((calls[1]?.input as { sessionKey: string }).sessionKey).toMatch(
       /^agent:agent-1:main:[a-f0-9]{16}$/,
     )
   })
 
-  it('surfaces a clear error when selected cwd no longer exists', async () => {
+  it('does not surface host-cwd errors for container runtimes because selected host cwd is ignored', async () => {
     const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(
       join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-browseros-'),
     )
@@ -221,8 +251,8 @@ describe('AcpxRuntime', () => {
     })
     const agent = makeAgent({ id: 'agent-1', adapter: 'codex' })
 
-    await expect(
-      runtime.send({
+    await collectStream(
+      await runtime.send({
         agent,
         sessionId: 'main',
         sessionKey: agent.sessionKey,
@@ -230,8 +260,10 @@ describe('AcpxRuntime', () => {
         message: 'work here',
         permissionMode: 'approve-all',
       }),
-    ).rejects.toThrow(`Selected workspace does not exist: ${missingCwd}`)
-    expect(calls).toEqual([])
+    )
+    expect(calls[0]?.input).toMatchObject({
+      cwd: join(browserosDir, 'vm', 'codex', 'harness', 'workspace'),
+    })
   })
 
   it('loads history from the latest runtime-state session key', async () => {
@@ -727,10 +759,15 @@ Use the BrowserOS MCP server for all browser tasks, including browsing the web,
   })
 
   it('continues the turn when runtime config control is unavailable', async () => {
+    const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(
+      join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-browseros-'),
+    )
+    const stateDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-state-'))
+    tempDirs.push(browserosDir, stateDir)
     const calls: Array<{ method: string; input: unknown }> = []
     const runtime = new AcpxRuntime({
-      cwd: '/tmp/browseros-acpx-runtime',
-      stateDir: '/tmp/browseros-acpx-state',
+      browserosDir,
+      stateDir,
       runtimeFactory: () => createFakeAcpRuntime(calls, { failConfig: true }),
     })
     const agent: AgentDefinition = {
@@ -769,10 +806,15 @@ Use the BrowserOS MCP server for all browser tasks, including browsing the web,
   })
 
   it('configures BrowserOS MCP and wraps turns with browser instructions', async () => {
+    const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(
+      join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-browseros-'),
+    )
+    const stateDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-state-'))
+    tempDirs.push(browserosDir, stateDir)
     const calls: Array<{ method: string; input: unknown }> = []
     const runtime = new AcpxRuntime({
-      cwd: '/tmp/browseros-acpx-runtime',
-      stateDir: '/tmp/browseros-acpx-state',
+      browserosDir,
+      stateDir,
       browserosServerPort: 9321,
       runtimeFactory: (options) => {
         calls.push({ method: 'createRuntime', input: options })
@@ -804,7 +846,7 @@ Use the BrowserOS MCP server for all browser tasks, including browsing the web,
         {
           type: 'http',
           name: 'browseros',
-          url: 'http://127.0.0.1:9321/mcp',
+          url: 'http://host.containers.internal:9321/mcp',
           headers: [],
         },
       ],
@@ -819,10 +861,15 @@ Use the BrowserOS MCP server for all browser tasks, including browsing the web,
   })
 
   it('escapes user request tag boundaries in wrapped prompts', async () => {
+    const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(
+      join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-browseros-'),
+    )
+    const stateDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-state-'))
+    tempDirs.push(browserosDir, stateDir)
     const calls: Array<{ method: string; input: unknown }> = []
     const runtime = new AcpxRuntime({
-      cwd: '/tmp/browseros-acpx-runtime',
-      stateDir: '/tmp/browseros-acpx-state',
+      browserosDir,
+      stateDir,
       runtimeFactory: () => createFakeAcpRuntime(calls),
     })
     const agent: AgentDefinition = {
@@ -856,10 +903,15 @@ Use the BrowserOS MCP server for all browser tasks, including browsing the web,
   })
 
   it('does not pass native CLI permission flags to ACP adapters', async () => {
+    const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(
+      join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-browseros-'),
+    )
+    const stateDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-state-'))
+    tempDirs.push(browserosDir, stateDir)
     const calls: Array<{ method: string; input: unknown }> = []
     const runtime = new AcpxRuntime({
-      cwd: '/tmp/browseros-acpx-runtime',
-      stateDir: '/tmp/browseros-acpx-state',
+      browserosDir,
+      stateDir,
       runtimeFactory: (options) => {
         calls.push({ method: 'createRuntime', input: options })
         return createFakeAcpRuntime(calls)
@@ -924,10 +976,11 @@ Use the BrowserOS MCP server for all browser tasks, including browsing the web,
     const command =
       getCreateRuntimeOptions(calls).agentRegistry.resolve('claude')
     expect(command).toContain('env AGENT_HOME=')
+    expect(command).toContain('/vm/claude/harness/')
     expect(command).not.toContain('CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR=')
     expect(command).not.toContain('CODEX_HOME=')
-    // Spawn must go through acpx-core's npx wrapper for the official
-    // claude-agent-acp package, not a bare `claude` binary.
+    // Spawn must go through the installed ACP adapter, not a bare `claude`
+    // binary.
     expect(command).toContain('claude-agent-acp')
   })
 
@@ -962,12 +1015,126 @@ Use the BrowserOS MCP server for all browser tasks, including browsing the web,
       getCreateRuntimeOptions(calls).agentRegistry.resolve('codex')
     expect(command).toContain('env AGENT_HOME=')
     expect(command).toContain('CODEX_HOME=')
+    expect(command).toContain('/vm/codex/harness/')
     expect(command).toContain('/runtime/codex-home')
-    // Spawn must go through acpx-core's npx wrapper for the official
-    // codex-acp package, not a bare `codex` binary.
+    // Spawn must go through the installed ACP adapter, not a bare `codex`
+    // binary.
     expect(command).toContain('codex-acp')
   })
 
+  it('resolves the Claude adapter to a container `nerdctl exec claude-agent-acp` command when a ClaudeRuntime is registered', async () => {
+    const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(
+      join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-browseros-'),
+    )
+    const stateDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-state-'))
+    tempDirs.push(browserosDir, stateDir)
+    const fakeManagedDeps: ManagedContainerDeps = {
+      cli: {} as ManagedContainerDeps['cli'],
+      loader: {} as ManagedContainerDeps['loader'],
+      vm: {} as ManagedContainerDeps['vm'],
+      limactlPath: '/opt/homebrew/bin/limactl',
+      limaHome: '/Users/dev/.browseros-dev/lima',
+      vmName: 'browseros-vm',
+      lockDir: stateDir,
+    }
+    const claudeRuntime = new ClaudeRuntime(fakeManagedDeps, {
+      browserosDir,
+      claudeHarnessHostDir: join(browserosDir, 'vm', 'claude', 'harness'),
+    })
+    getAgentRuntimeRegistry().register(claudeRuntime)
+
+    const calls: Array<{ method: string; input: unknown }> = []
+    const runtime = new AcpxRuntime({
+      browserosDir,
+      stateDir,
+      runtimeFactory: (options) => {
+        calls.push({ method: 'createRuntime', input: options })
+        return createFakeAcpRuntime(calls)
+      },
+    })
+    const agent = makeAgent({ id: 'agent-1', adapter: 'claude' })
+
+    await collectStream(
+      await runtime.send({
+        agent,
+        sessionId: 'main',
+        sessionKey: agent.sessionKey,
+        message: 'hi',
+        permissionMode: 'approve-all',
+      }),
+    )
+
+    const command =
+      getCreateRuntimeOptions(calls).agentRegistry.resolve('claude')
+    expect(command).toContain('env LIMA_HOME=/Users/dev/.browseros-dev/lima')
+    expect(command).toContain(
+      '/opt/homebrew/bin/limactl shell --workdir / browseros-vm --',
+    )
+    expect(command).toContain('nerdctl exec -i')
+    expect(command).toContain('browseros-claude-claude-agent-1')
+    expect(command).toContain('claude-agent-acp')
+    expect(command).toContain('AGENT_HOME=')
+    expect(command).toContain('/vm/claude/harness/')
+    expect(command).not.toContain('CODEX_HOME=')
+    expect(command).not.toContain('CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR=')
+  })
+
+  it('resolves the Codex adapter to a container `nerdctl exec codex-acp` command when a CodexRuntime is registered', async () => {
+    const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(
+      join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-browseros-'),
+    )
+    const stateDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-state-'))
+    tempDirs.push(browserosDir, stateDir)
+    const fakeManagedDeps: ManagedContainerDeps = {
+      cli: {} as ManagedContainerDeps['cli'],
+      loader: {} as ManagedContainerDeps['loader'],
+      vm: {} as ManagedContainerDeps['vm'],
+      limactlPath: '/opt/homebrew/bin/limactl',
+      limaHome: '/Users/dev/.browseros-dev/lima',
+      vmName: 'browseros-vm',
+      lockDir: stateDir,
+    }
+    const codexRuntime = new CodexRuntime(fakeManagedDeps, {
+      browserosDir,
+      codexHarnessHostDir: join(browserosDir, 'vm', 'codex', 'harness'),
+    })
+    getAgentRuntimeRegistry().register(codexRuntime)
+
+    const calls: Array<{ method: string; input: unknown }> = []
+    const runtime = new AcpxRuntime({
+      browserosDir,
+      stateDir,
+      runtimeFactory: (options) => {
+        calls.push({ method: 'createRuntime', input: options })
+        return createFakeAcpRuntime(calls)
+      },
+    })
+    const agent = makeAgent({ id: 'agent-1', adapter: 'codex' })
+
+    await collectStream(
+      await runtime.send({
+        agent,
+        sessionId: 'main',
+        sessionKey: agent.sessionKey,
+        message: 'hi',
+        permissionMode: 'approve-all',
+      }),
+    )
+
+    const command =
+      getCreateRuntimeOptions(calls).agentRegistry.resolve('codex')
+    expect(command).toContain('env LIMA_HOME=/Users/dev/.browseros-dev/lima')
+    expect(command).toContain(
+      '/opt/homebrew/bin/limactl shell --workdir / browseros-vm --',
+    )
+    expect(command).toContain('nerdctl exec -i')
+    expect(command).toContain('browseros-codex-codex-agent-1')
+    expect(command).toContain('codex-acp')
+    expect(command).toContain('CODEX_HOME=')
+    expect(command).toContain('/vm/codex/harness/')
+    expect(command).not.toContain('CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR=')
+  })
+
   it('resolves the Hermes adapter to a container `nerdctl exec hermes acp` command when a HermesContainerRuntime is registered', async () => {
     const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(
       join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-browseros-'),
@@ -1219,10 +1386,15 @@ Use the BrowserOS MCP server for all browser tasks, including browsing the web,
   })
 
   it('sets Claude approve-all sessions to bypass permissions before starting a turn', async () => {
+    const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(
+      join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-browseros-'),
+    )
+    const stateDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-state-'))
+    tempDirs.push(browserosDir, stateDir)
     const calls: Array<{ method: string; input: unknown }> = []
     const runtime = new AcpxRuntime({
-      cwd: '/tmp/browseros-acpx-runtime',
-      stateDir: '/tmp/browseros-acpx-state',
+      browserosDir,
+      stateDir,
       runtimeFactory: () => createFakeAcpRuntime(calls),
     })
     const agent: AgentDefinition = {
@@ -1256,10 +1428,15 @@ Use the BrowserOS MCP server for all browser tasks, including browsing the web,
   })
 
   it('continues Claude approve-all turns when mode control is unavailable', async () => {
+    const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(
+      join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-browseros-'),
+    )
+    const stateDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-state-'))
+    tempDirs.push(browserosDir, stateDir)
     const calls: Array<{ method: string; input: unknown }> = []
     const runtime = new AcpxRuntime({
-      cwd: '/tmp/browseros-acpx-runtime',
-      stateDir: '/tmp/browseros-acpx-state',
+      browserosDir,
+      stateDir,
       runtimeFactory: () =>
         createFakeAcpRuntime(calls, { omitModeControl: true }),
     })
@@ -1314,10 +1491,15 @@ Use the BrowserOS MCP server for all browser tasks, including browsing the web,
   })
 
   it('reuses cached runtime instances across per-turn timeouts', async () => {
+    const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(
+      join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-browseros-'),
+    )
+    const stateDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-acpx-state-'))
+    tempDirs.push(browserosDir, stateDir)
     const calls: Array<{ method: string; input: unknown }> = []
     const runtime = new AcpxRuntime({
-      cwd: '/tmp/browseros-acpx-runtime',
-      stateDir: '/tmp/browseros-acpx-state',
+      browserosDir,
+      stateDir,
       runtimeFactory: (options) => {
         calls.push({ method: 'createRuntime', input: options })
         return createFakeAcpRuntime(calls)
@@ -1393,7 +1575,8 @@ async function createLatestRuntimeStateForTest(input: {
   await saveLatestRuntimeState(
     join(
       input.browserosDir,
-      'agents',
+      'vm',
+      'codex',
       'harness',
       'runtime-state',
       `${input.agentId}.json`,
@@ -1401,10 +1584,11 @@ async function createLatestRuntimeStateForTest(input: {
     {
       sessionId: 'main',
       runtimeSessionKey: input.runtimeSessionKey,
-      cwd: join(input.browserosDir, 'agents', 'harness', 'workspace'),
+      cwd: join(input.browserosDir, 'vm', 'codex', 'harness', 'workspace'),
       agentHome: join(
         input.browserosDir,
-        'agents',
+        'vm',
+        'codex',
         'harness',
         input.agentId,
         'home',
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/claude-container-runtime.test.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/claude-container-runtime.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c388cd207
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/claude-container-runtime.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,326 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright 2025 BrowserOS
+ */
+
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from 'bun:test'
+import { mkdtempSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { mkdtemp, rm } from 'node:fs/promises'
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import {
+  CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME,
+  CLAUDE_IMAGE,
+} from '../../../../../../packages/shared/src/constants/claude'
+import {
+  ClaudeRuntime,
+  configureClaudeRuntime,
+  getAgentRuntimeRegistry,
+  getClaudeRuntime,
+  prepareClaudeCodeContext,
+  resetAgentRuntimeRegistry,
+} from '../../../../src/lib/agents/runtime'
+import type {
+  ManagedContainerDeps,
+  MountRoot,
+} from '../../../../src/lib/container/managed'
+import type {
+  ContainerInfo,
+  ContainerSpec,
+} from '../../../../src/lib/container/types'
+
+function makeAgent(id = 'agent-1') {
+  return {
+    id,
+    name: 'Claude bot',
+    adapter: 'claude' as const,
+    sessionKey: `agent:${id}:main`,
+    pinned: false,
+    updatedAt: Date.now(),
+    createdAt: Date.now(),
+    modelId: 'claude-opus-4-5',
+    reasoningEffort: 'medium',
+    providerType: 'host-auth',
+    providerName: null,
+    baseUrl: null,
+    apiKey: null,
+    supportsImages: true,
+  }
+}
+
+function makeDeps(opts: { lockDir: string }): {
+  deps: ManagedContainerDeps
+  getCapturedSpec: () => ContainerSpec | null
+} {
+  let capturedSpec: ContainerSpec | null = null
+  const fakeCli = {
+    inspectContainer: async (): Promise<ContainerInfo | null> => ({
+      id: 'cid',
+      name: CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME,
+      image: CLAUDE_IMAGE,
+      status: 'running',
+      running: true,
+    }),
+    removeContainer: async () => {},
+    waitForContainerNameRelease: async () => {},
+    createContainer: async (spec: ContainerSpec) => {
+      capturedSpec = spec
+    },
+    startContainer: async () => {},
+    waitForContainerRunning: async () => {},
+    exec: async () => 0,
+  }
+  const fakeLoader = { ensureImageLoaded: async () => {} }
+  const fakeVm = {
+    ensureReady: async () => {},
+    getDefaultGateway: async () => '192.168.5.2',
+  }
+  const deps: ManagedContainerDeps = {
+    cli: fakeCli as unknown as ManagedContainerDeps['cli'],
+    loader: fakeLoader as unknown as ManagedContainerDeps['loader'],
+    vm: fakeVm as unknown as ManagedContainerDeps['vm'],
+    limactlPath: '/opt/homebrew/bin/limactl',
+    limaHome: '/Users/dev/.browseros/lima',
+    vmName: 'browseros-vm',
+    lockDir: opts.lockDir,
+  }
+  return { deps, getCapturedSpec: () => capturedSpec }
+}
+
+describe('ClaudeRuntime', () => {
+  const tempDirs: string[] = []
+
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    await Promise.all(
+      tempDirs.map((dir) => rm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true })),
+    )
+    tempDirs.length = 0
+    resetAgentRuntimeRegistry()
+  })
+
+  function mkTempDirSync(prefix: string): string {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), prefix))
+    tempDirs.push(dir)
+    return dir
+  }
+
+  it('declares the canonical Claude descriptor', () => {
+    const runtime = new ClaudeRuntime(
+      makeDeps({ lockDir: mkTempDirSync('claude-runtime-') }).deps,
+      {
+        browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros',
+        claudeHarnessHostDir: '/tmp/browseros/vm/claude/harness',
+      },
+    )
+    expect(runtime.descriptor.adapterId).toBe('claude')
+    expect(runtime.descriptor.kind).toBe('container')
+    expect(runtime.descriptor.containerName).toBe(CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME)
+    expect(runtime.descriptor.defaultImage).toBe(CLAUDE_IMAGE)
+    expect(runtime.descriptor.defaultImage).toBe(
+      'docker.io/library/node:20-bookworm-slim',
+    )
+    expect(runtime.descriptor.platforms).toContain('darwin')
+    expect(runtime.descriptor.readinessProbe?.timeoutMs).toBe(120_000)
+  })
+
+  it('mountRoots maps the VM-backed harness dir into the container at the same path', () => {
+    const runtime = new ClaudeRuntime(
+      makeDeps({ lockDir: mkTempDirSync('claude-runtime-') }).deps,
+      {
+        browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros',
+        claudeHarnessHostDir: '/tmp/browseros/vm/claude/harness',
+      },
+    )
+    const mounts: readonly MountRoot[] = (
+      runtime as unknown as { mountRoots(): readonly MountRoot[] }
+    ).mountRoots()
+    expect(mounts).toEqual([
+      {
+        hostPath: '/tmp/browseros/vm/claude/harness',
+        containerPath: '/tmp/browseros/vm/claude/harness',
+        kind: 'shared',
+      },
+    ])
+  })
+
+  it('builds a ContainerSpec that installs Claude Code using the devcontainer npm path', async () => {
+    const lockDir = mkTempDirSync('claude-runtime-')
+    const { deps, getCapturedSpec } = makeDeps({ lockDir })
+    const runtime = new ClaudeRuntime(deps, {
+      browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros',
+      claudeHarnessHostDir: '/tmp/browseros/vm/claude/harness',
+    })
+
+    await runtime.start()
+
+    const spec = getCapturedSpec()
+    if (!spec) throw new Error('createContainer was never called')
+    expect(spec.entrypoint).toBe('/bin/sh')
+    expect(spec.command).toEqual([
+      '-c',
+      'npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest @agentclientprotocol/claude-agent-acp@^0.31.0 && exec sleep infinity',
+    ])
+    expect(spec.addHosts).toContain('host.containers.internal:192.168.5.2')
+    expect(spec.mounts).toContainEqual({
+      source: '/mnt/browseros/vm/claude/harness',
+      target: '/tmp/browseros/vm/claude/harness',
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('getPerAgentHomeDir resolves the VM-backed agent home path', () => {
+    const runtime = new ClaudeRuntime(
+      makeDeps({ lockDir: mkTempDirSync('claude-runtime-') }).deps,
+      {
+        browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros',
+        claudeHarnessHostDir: '/tmp/browseros/vm/claude/harness',
+      },
+    )
+    expect(runtime.getPerAgentHomeDir('agent-7')).toBe(
+      '/tmp/browseros/vm/claude/harness/agent-7/home',
+    )
+  })
+
+  it('getAcpExecSpec runs the Claude ACP adapter inside the container', () => {
+    const runtime = new ClaudeRuntime(
+      makeDeps({ lockDir: mkTempDirSync('claude-runtime-') }).deps,
+      {
+        browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros',
+        claudeHarnessHostDir: '/tmp/browseros/vm/claude/harness',
+      },
+    )
+
+    const spec = runtime.getAcpExecSpec({ AGENT_HOME: '/tmp/agent' })
+
+    expect(spec.argv).toEqual(['claude-agent-acp'])
+    expect(spec.env).toEqual({ AGENT_HOME: '/tmp/agent' })
+  })
+
+  it('prepareTurnContext sets VM-backed AGENT_HOME and not CODEX_HOME', async () => {
+    const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-claude-'))
+    tempDirs.push(browserosDir)
+    const prepared = await prepareClaudeCodeContext({
+      browserosDir,
+      agent: makeAgent('claude-agent'),
+      sessionId: 'main',
+      sessionKey: 'agent:claude-agent:main',
+      cwdOverride: null,
+      isSelectedCwd: false,
+      message: 'hi',
+    })
+    const agentHome = join(
+      browserosDir,
+      'vm',
+      'claude',
+      'harness',
+      'claude-agent',
+      'home',
+    )
+    expect(prepared.commandEnv).toEqual({
+      AGENT_HOME: agentHome,
+      HOME: agentHome,
+    })
+    expect(prepared.cwd).toBe(
+      join(browserosDir, 'vm', 'claude', 'harness', 'workspace'),
+    )
+    expect(prepared.runPrompt).toContain(
+      `AGENT_HOME=${join(
+        browserosDir,
+        'vm',
+        'claude',
+        'harness',
+        'claude-agent',
+        'home',
+      )}`,
+    )
+    expect(prepared.commandEnv).not.toHaveProperty('CODEX_HOME')
+    expect(prepared.browserosMcpHost).toBe('host.containers.internal')
+    expect(prepared.useBrowserosMcp).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('prepareTurnContext ignores selected host cwd for container safety', async () => {
+    const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-claude-'))
+    const selectedCwd = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'selected-cwd-'))
+    tempDirs.push(browserosDir, selectedCwd)
+    const prepared = await prepareClaudeCodeContext({
+      browserosDir,
+      agent: makeAgent('claude-agent'),
+      sessionId: 'main',
+      sessionKey: 'agent:claude-agent:main',
+      cwdOverride: selectedCwd,
+      isSelectedCwd: true,
+      message: 'hi',
+    })
+    expect(prepared.cwd).toBe(
+      join(browserosDir, 'vm', 'claude', 'harness', 'workspace'),
+    )
+    expect(prepared.cwd).not.toBe(selectedCwd)
+  })
+
+  it('buildExecArgv produces a limactl/nerdctl Claude ACP command', () => {
+    const runtime = new ClaudeRuntime(
+      makeDeps({ lockDir: mkTempDirSync('claude-runtime-') }).deps,
+      {
+        browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros',
+        claudeHarnessHostDir: '/tmp/browseros/vm/claude/harness',
+      },
+    )
+    const out = runtime.buildExecArgv(
+      runtime.getAcpExecSpec({
+        AGENT_HOME: '/tmp/browseros/vm/claude/harness/agent/home',
+      }),
+    )
+    expect(out).toContain('LIMA_HOME=/Users/dev/.browseros/lima')
+    expect(out).toContain('nerdctl exec -i')
+    expect(out).toContain(CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME)
+    expect(out).toContain('claude-agent-acp')
+    expect(out).toContain(
+      '-e AGENT_HOME=/tmp/browseros/vm/claude/harness/agent/home',
+    )
+  })
+
+  it('prepareTurnContext default workspace is under the Claude VM harness', async () => {
+    const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-claude-'))
+    tempDirs.push(browserosDir)
+    const prepared = await prepareClaudeCodeContext({
+      browserosDir,
+      agent: makeAgent('claude-agent'),
+      sessionId: 'main',
+      sessionKey: 'agent:claude-agent:main',
+      cwdOverride: null,
+      isSelectedCwd: false,
+      message: 'hi',
+    })
+    expect(prepared.cwd).toBe(
+      join(browserosDir, 'vm', 'claude', 'harness', 'workspace'),
+    )
+  })
+
+  describe('configureClaudeRuntime', () => {
+    let originalPlatform: string
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      originalPlatform = process.platform
+    })
+
+    afterEach(() => {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', { value: originalPlatform })
+    })
+
+    it('registers a runtime in the registry', () => {
+      const browserosDir = '/tmp/browseros'
+      Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', { value: 'darwin' })
+      const runtime = configureClaudeRuntime({ browserosDir })
+      expect(runtime).toBeInstanceOf(ClaudeRuntime)
+      expect(getClaudeRuntime()).toBe(runtime)
+      expect(getAgentRuntimeRegistry().get('claude')).toBe(runtime)
+    })
+
+    it('throws on duplicate registration', () => {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', { value: 'darwin' })
+      configureClaudeRuntime({ browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros' })
+      expect(() =>
+        configureClaudeRuntime({ browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros' }),
+      ).toThrow(/already registered/)
+    })
+  })
+})
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/claude-host-process-runtime.test.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/claude-host-process-runtime.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 8dde226a0..000000000
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/claude-host-process-runtime.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,111 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @license
- * Copyright 2025 BrowserOS
- */
-
-import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from 'bun:test'
-import { mkdtemp, rm } from 'node:fs/promises'
-import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
-import { join } from 'node:path'
-import {
-  ClaudeRuntime,
-  configureClaudeRuntime,
-  getAgentRuntimeRegistry,
-  getClaudeRuntime,
-  prepareClaudeCodeContext,
-  resetAgentRuntimeRegistry,
-} from '../../../../src/lib/agents/runtime'
-
-function makeAgent(id = 'agent-1') {
-  return {
-    id,
-    name: 'Claude bot',
-    adapter: 'claude' as const,
-    sessionKey: `agent:${id}:main`,
-    pinned: false,
-    updatedAt: Date.now(),
-    createdAt: Date.now(),
-    modelId: 'claude-opus-4-5',
-    reasoningEffort: 'medium',
-    providerType: 'host-auth',
-    providerName: null,
-    baseUrl: null,
-    apiKey: null,
-    supportsImages: true,
-  }
-}
-
-describe('ClaudeRuntime', () => {
-  const tempDirs: string[] = []
-
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await Promise.all(
-      tempDirs.map((dir) => rm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true })),
-    )
-    tempDirs.length = 0
-    resetAgentRuntimeRegistry()
-  })
-
-  it('declares the canonical Claude descriptor', () => {
-    const runtime = new ClaudeRuntime(
-      { binaryName: 'claude' },
-      { browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros' },
-    )
-    expect(runtime.descriptor.adapterId).toBe('claude')
-    expect(runtime.descriptor.kind).toBe('host-process')
-    expect(runtime.descriptor.platforms).toContain('darwin')
-    expect(runtime.descriptor.platforms).toContain('linux')
-  })
-
-  it('getPerAgentHomeDir resolves the canonical agent home path', () => {
-    const runtime = new ClaudeRuntime(
-      { binaryName: 'claude' },
-      { browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros' },
-    )
-    expect(runtime.getPerAgentHomeDir('agent-7')).toBe(
-      '/tmp/browseros/agents/harness/agent-7/home',
-    )
-  })
-
-  it('prepareTurnContext sets AGENT_HOME and not CODEX_HOME', async () => {
-    const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-claude-'))
-    tempDirs.push(browserosDir)
-    const prepared = await prepareClaudeCodeContext({
-      browserosDir,
-      agent: makeAgent('claude-agent'),
-      sessionId: 'main',
-      sessionKey: 'agent:claude-agent:main',
-      cwdOverride: null,
-      isSelectedCwd: false,
-      message: 'hi',
-    })
-    expect(prepared.commandEnv).toEqual({
-      AGENT_HOME: join(
-        browserosDir,
-        'agents',
-        'harness',
-        'claude-agent',
-        'home',
-      ),
-    })
-    expect(prepared.commandEnv).not.toHaveProperty('CODEX_HOME')
-    expect(prepared.useBrowserosMcp).toBe(true)
-  })
-
-  describe('configureClaudeRuntime', () => {
-    it('registers a runtime in the registry', () => {
-      const browserosDir = '/tmp/browseros'
-      const runtime = configureClaudeRuntime({ browserosDir })
-      expect(runtime).toBeInstanceOf(ClaudeRuntime)
-      expect(getClaudeRuntime()).toBe(runtime)
-      expect(getAgentRuntimeRegistry().get('claude')).toBe(runtime)
-    })
-
-    it('throws on duplicate registration', () => {
-      configureClaudeRuntime({ browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros' })
-      expect(() =>
-        configureClaudeRuntime({ browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros' }),
-      ).toThrow(/already registered/)
-    })
-  })
-})
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/codex-container-runtime.test.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/codex-container-runtime.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cf43899cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/codex-container-runtime.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,283 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright 2025 BrowserOS
+ */
+
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from 'bun:test'
+import { mkdtempSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { mkdtemp, rm, stat } from 'node:fs/promises'
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import {
+  CODEX_CONTAINER_NAME,
+  CODEX_IMAGE,
+} from '../../../../../../packages/shared/src/constants/codex'
+import {
+  CodexRuntime,
+  configureCodexRuntime,
+  getAgentRuntimeRegistry,
+  getCodexRuntime,
+  prepareCodexContext,
+  resetAgentRuntimeRegistry,
+} from '../../../../src/lib/agents/runtime'
+import type {
+  ManagedContainerDeps,
+  MountRoot,
+} from '../../../../src/lib/container/managed'
+import type {
+  ContainerInfo,
+  ContainerSpec,
+} from '../../../../src/lib/container/types'
+
+function makeAgent(id = 'agent-1') {
+  return {
+    id,
+    name: 'Codex bot',
+    adapter: 'codex' as const,
+    sessionKey: `agent:${id}:main`,
+    pinned: false,
+    updatedAt: Date.now(),
+    createdAt: Date.now(),
+    modelId: 'gpt-5.5',
+    reasoningEffort: 'medium',
+    providerType: 'host-auth',
+    providerName: null,
+    baseUrl: null,
+    apiKey: null,
+    supportsImages: false,
+  }
+}
+
+function makeDeps(opts: { lockDir: string }): {
+  deps: ManagedContainerDeps
+  getCapturedSpec: () => ContainerSpec | null
+  getExecCommands: () => string[][]
+} {
+  let capturedSpec: ContainerSpec | null = null
+  const execCommands: string[][] = []
+  const fakeCli = {
+    inspectContainer: async (): Promise<ContainerInfo | null> => ({
+      id: 'cid',
+      name: CODEX_CONTAINER_NAME,
+      image: CODEX_IMAGE,
+      status: 'running',
+      running: true,
+    }),
+    removeContainer: async () => {},
+    waitForContainerNameRelease: async () => {},
+    createContainer: async (spec: ContainerSpec) => {
+      capturedSpec = spec
+    },
+    startContainer: async () => {},
+    waitForContainerRunning: async () => {},
+    exec: async (_containerName: string, argv: string[]) => {
+      execCommands.push(argv)
+      return 0
+    },
+  }
+  const fakeLoader = { ensureImageLoaded: async () => {} }
+  const fakeVm = {
+    ensureReady: async () => {},
+    getDefaultGateway: async () => '192.168.5.2',
+  }
+  const deps: ManagedContainerDeps = {
+    cli: fakeCli as unknown as ManagedContainerDeps['cli'],
+    loader: fakeLoader as unknown as ManagedContainerDeps['loader'],
+    vm: fakeVm as unknown as ManagedContainerDeps['vm'],
+    limactlPath: '/opt/homebrew/bin/limactl',
+    limaHome: '/Users/dev/.browseros/lima',
+    vmName: 'browseros-vm',
+    lockDir: opts.lockDir,
+  }
+  return {
+    deps,
+    getCapturedSpec: () => capturedSpec,
+    getExecCommands: () => execCommands,
+  }
+}
+
+describe('CodexRuntime', () => {
+  const tempDirs: string[] = []
+
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    await Promise.all(
+      tempDirs.map((dir) => rm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true })),
+    )
+    tempDirs.length = 0
+    resetAgentRuntimeRegistry()
+  })
+
+  function mkTempDirSync(prefix: string): string {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), prefix))
+    tempDirs.push(dir)
+    return dir
+  }
+
+  it('declares the canonical Codex descriptor', () => {
+    const runtime = new CodexRuntime(
+      makeDeps({ lockDir: mkTempDirSync('codex-runtime-') }).deps,
+      {
+        browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros',
+        codexHarnessHostDir: '/tmp/browseros/vm/codex/harness',
+      },
+    )
+    expect(runtime.descriptor.adapterId).toBe('codex')
+    expect(runtime.descriptor.kind).toBe('container')
+    expect(runtime.descriptor.containerName).toBe(CODEX_CONTAINER_NAME)
+    expect(runtime.descriptor.defaultImage).toBe(CODEX_IMAGE)
+    expect(runtime.descriptor.defaultImage).toBe(
+      'docker.io/library/node:20-bookworm-slim',
+    )
+    expect(runtime.descriptor.readinessProbe?.timeoutMs).toBe(120_000)
+  })
+
+  it('mountRoots maps the VM-backed harness dir into the container at the same path', () => {
+    const runtime = new CodexRuntime(
+      makeDeps({ lockDir: mkTempDirSync('codex-runtime-') }).deps,
+      {
+        browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros',
+        codexHarnessHostDir: '/tmp/browseros/vm/codex/harness',
+      },
+    )
+    const mounts: readonly MountRoot[] = (
+      runtime as unknown as { mountRoots(): readonly MountRoot[] }
+    ).mountRoots()
+    expect(mounts).toEqual([
+      {
+        hostPath: '/tmp/browseros/vm/codex/harness',
+        containerPath: '/tmp/browseros/vm/codex/harness',
+        kind: 'shared',
+      },
+    ])
+  })
+
+  it('builds a ContainerSpec with Codex CLI and ACP adapter install + VM harness mount + add-host', async () => {
+    const { deps, getCapturedSpec, getExecCommands } = makeDeps({
+      lockDir: mkTempDirSync('codex-runtime-'),
+    })
+    const runtime = new CodexRuntime(deps, {
+      browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros',
+      codexHarnessHostDir: '/tmp/browseros/vm/codex/harness',
+    })
+
+    await runtime.start()
+
+    const spec = getCapturedSpec()
+    if (!spec) throw new Error('createContainer was never called')
+    expect(spec.entrypoint).toBe('/bin/sh')
+    expect(spec.command).toEqual([
+      '-c',
+      'apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends ca-certificates libssl3 && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* && npm install -g @openai/codex@latest @zed-industries/codex-acp@^0.12.0 && exec sleep infinity',
+    ])
+    expect(spec.addHosts).toContain('host.containers.internal:192.168.5.2')
+    expect(spec.mounts).toContainEqual({
+      source: '/mnt/browseros/vm/codex/harness',
+      target: '/tmp/browseros/vm/codex/harness',
+    })
+    expect(getExecCommands()).toContainEqual([
+      'sh',
+      '-lc',
+      'command -v codex >/dev/null && command -v codex-acp >/dev/null && codex-acp --help >/dev/null',
+    ])
+  })
+
+  it('getAcpExecSpec runs the Codex ACP adapter inside the container', () => {
+    const runtime = new CodexRuntime(
+      makeDeps({ lockDir: mkTempDirSync('codex-runtime-') }).deps,
+      {
+        browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros',
+        codexHarnessHostDir: '/tmp/browseros/vm/codex/harness',
+      },
+    )
+
+    const spec = runtime.getAcpExecSpec({ CODEX_HOME: '/tmp/codex' })
+
+    expect(spec.argv).toEqual(['codex-acp'])
+    expect(spec.env).toEqual({ CODEX_HOME: '/tmp/codex' })
+  })
+
+  it('prepareTurnContext sets VM-backed AGENT_HOME + CODEX_HOME and materializes codex home', async () => {
+    const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-codex-'))
+    tempDirs.push(browserosDir)
+    const prepared = await prepareCodexContext({
+      browserosDir,
+      agent: makeAgent('codex-agent'),
+      sessionId: 'main',
+      sessionKey: 'agent:codex-agent:main',
+      cwdOverride: null,
+      isSelectedCwd: false,
+      message: 'hi',
+    })
+    expect(prepared.commandEnv.AGENT_HOME).toBe(
+      join(browserosDir, 'vm', 'codex', 'harness', 'codex-agent', 'home'),
+    )
+    expect(prepared.commandEnv.CODEX_HOME).toBe(
+      join(
+        browserosDir,
+        'vm',
+        'codex',
+        'harness',
+        'codex-agent',
+        'runtime',
+        'codex-home',
+      ),
+    )
+    const codexHomeStat = await stat(prepared.commandEnv.CODEX_HOME)
+    expect(codexHomeStat.isDirectory()).toBe(true)
+    expect(prepared.cwd).toBe(
+      join(browserosDir, 'vm', 'codex', 'harness', 'workspace'),
+    )
+    expect(prepared.browserosMcpHost).toBe('host.containers.internal')
+    expect(prepared.useBrowserosMcp).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('buildExecArgv produces a limactl/nerdctl Codex ACP command', () => {
+    const runtime = new CodexRuntime(
+      makeDeps({ lockDir: mkTempDirSync('codex-runtime-') }).deps,
+      {
+        browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros',
+        codexHarnessHostDir: '/tmp/browseros/vm/codex/harness',
+      },
+    )
+    const out = runtime.buildExecArgv(
+      runtime.getAcpExecSpec({
+        CODEX_HOME: '/tmp/browseros/vm/codex/harness/agent/runtime/codex-home',
+      }),
+    )
+    expect(out).toContain('LIMA_HOME=/Users/dev/.browseros/lima')
+    expect(out).toContain('nerdctl exec -i')
+    expect(out).toContain(CODEX_CONTAINER_NAME)
+    expect(out).toContain('codex-acp')
+    expect(out).toContain(
+      '-e CODEX_HOME=/tmp/browseros/vm/codex/harness/agent/runtime/codex-home',
+    )
+  })
+
+  describe('configureCodexRuntime', () => {
+    let originalPlatform: string
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      originalPlatform = process.platform
+    })
+
+    afterEach(() => {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', { value: originalPlatform })
+    })
+
+    it('registers a runtime in the registry', () => {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', { value: 'darwin' })
+      const runtime = configureCodexRuntime({ browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros' })
+      expect(runtime).toBeInstanceOf(CodexRuntime)
+      expect(getCodexRuntime()).toBe(runtime)
+      expect(getAgentRuntimeRegistry().get('codex')).toBe(runtime)
+    })
+
+    it('throws on duplicate registration', () => {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', { value: 'darwin' })
+      configureCodexRuntime({ browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros' })
+      expect(() =>
+        configureCodexRuntime({ browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros' }),
+      ).toThrow(/already registered/)
+    })
+  })
+})
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/codex-host-process-runtime.test.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/codex-host-process-runtime.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 2e3d3dae2..000000000
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/codex-host-process-runtime.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,103 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @license
- * Copyright 2025 BrowserOS
- */
-
-import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from 'bun:test'
-import { mkdtemp, rm, stat } from 'node:fs/promises'
-import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
-import { join } from 'node:path'
-import {
-  CodexRuntime,
-  configureCodexRuntime,
-  getAgentRuntimeRegistry,
-  getCodexRuntime,
-  prepareCodexContext,
-  resetAgentRuntimeRegistry,
-} from '../../../../src/lib/agents/runtime'
-
-function makeAgent(id = 'agent-1') {
-  return {
-    id,
-    name: 'Codex bot',
-    adapter: 'codex' as const,
-    sessionKey: `agent:${id}:main`,
-    pinned: false,
-    updatedAt: Date.now(),
-    createdAt: Date.now(),
-    modelId: 'gpt-5.5',
-    reasoningEffort: 'medium',
-    providerType: 'host-auth',
-    providerName: null,
-    baseUrl: null,
-    apiKey: null,
-    supportsImages: false,
-  }
-}
-
-describe('CodexRuntime', () => {
-  const tempDirs: string[] = []
-
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await Promise.all(
-      tempDirs.map((dir) => rm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true })),
-    )
-    tempDirs.length = 0
-    resetAgentRuntimeRegistry()
-  })
-
-  it('declares the canonical Codex descriptor', () => {
-    const runtime = new CodexRuntime(
-      { binaryName: 'codex' },
-      { browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros' },
-    )
-    expect(runtime.descriptor.adapterId).toBe('codex')
-    expect(runtime.descriptor.kind).toBe('host-process')
-  })
-
-  it('prepareTurnContext sets AGENT_HOME + CODEX_HOME and materializes codex home', async () => {
-    const browserosDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'browseros-codex-'))
-    tempDirs.push(browserosDir)
-    const prepared = await prepareCodexContext({
-      browserosDir,
-      agent: makeAgent('codex-agent'),
-      sessionId: 'main',
-      sessionKey: 'agent:codex-agent:main',
-      cwdOverride: null,
-      isSelectedCwd: false,
-      message: 'hi',
-    })
-    expect(prepared.commandEnv.AGENT_HOME).toBe(
-      join(browserosDir, 'agents', 'harness', 'codex-agent', 'home'),
-    )
-    expect(prepared.commandEnv.CODEX_HOME).toBe(
-      join(
-        browserosDir,
-        'agents',
-        'harness',
-        'codex-agent',
-        'runtime',
-        'codex-home',
-      ),
-    )
-    const codexHomeStat = await stat(prepared.commandEnv.CODEX_HOME)
-    expect(codexHomeStat.isDirectory()).toBe(true)
-    expect(prepared.useBrowserosMcp).toBe(true)
-  })
-
-  describe('configureCodexRuntime', () => {
-    it('registers a runtime in the registry', () => {
-      const runtime = configureCodexRuntime({ browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros' })
-      expect(runtime).toBeInstanceOf(CodexRuntime)
-      expect(getCodexRuntime()).toBe(runtime)
-      expect(getAgentRuntimeRegistry().get('codex')).toBe(runtime)
-    })
-
-    it('throws on duplicate registration', () => {
-      configureCodexRuntime({ browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros' })
-      expect(() =>
-        configureCodexRuntime({ browserosDir: '/tmp/browseros' }),
-      ).toThrow(/already registered/)
-    })
-  })
-})
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/container-agent-runtime.test.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/container-agent-runtime.test.ts
index c761f28a5..69805d773 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/container-agent-runtime.test.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/container-agent-runtime.test.ts
@@ -3,18 +3,20 @@
  * Copyright 2025 BrowserOS
  */
 
-import { describe, expect, it } from 'bun:test'
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, mock, spyOn } from 'bun:test'
 import {
   ActionNotSupportedError,
   ContainerAgentRuntime,
   type RuntimeCapability,
   type RuntimeStatusSnapshot,
+  startContainerRuntimeBestEffort,
 } from '../../../../src/lib/agents/runtime'
 import type {
   ManagedContainerDeps,
   MountRoot,
 } from '../../../../src/lib/container/managed'
 import type { ContainerSpec } from '../../../../src/lib/container/types'
+import { logger } from '../../../../src/lib/logger'
 
 interface Call {
   kind: 'install' | 'start' | 'stop' | 'restart' | 'reset'
@@ -87,6 +89,10 @@ function makeDeps(): ManagedContainerDeps {
 }
 
 describe('ContainerAgentRuntime', () => {
+  afterEach(() => {
+    mock.restore()
+  })
+
   it('default capabilities cover lifecycle + reset levels + logs', () => {
     const r = new TestRuntime(makeDeps())
     expect(r.getCapabilities()).toEqual([
@@ -185,4 +191,29 @@ describe('ContainerAgentRuntime', () => {
       ).rejects.toBeInstanceOf(ActionNotSupportedError)
     })
   })
+
+  describe('startContainerRuntimeBestEffort', () => {
+    it('configures a container runtime and schedules install + start', () => {
+      const r = new TestRuntime(makeDeps())
+
+      const result = startContainerRuntimeBestEffort(() => r)
+
+      expect(result).toBe(r)
+      expect(r.calls.map((c) => c.kind)).toEqual(['install', 'start'])
+    })
+
+    it('returns null when configuration throws', () => {
+      const loggerWarn = spyOn(logger, 'warn').mockImplementation(() => {})
+
+      const result = startContainerRuntimeBestEffort(() => {
+        throw new Error('limactl missing')
+      })
+
+      expect(result).toBeNull()
+      expect(loggerWarn).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        'Container runtime configuration failed, continuing without it',
+        { error: 'limactl missing' },
+      )
+    })
+  })
 })
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/hermes-container-runtime.test.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/hermes-container-runtime.test.ts
index 1a39d00c7..103e87730 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/hermes-container-runtime.test.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/agents/runtime/hermes-container-runtime.test.ts
@@ -19,9 +19,7 @@ import {
   getHermesRuntime,
   HermesContainerRuntime,
   resetAgentRuntimeRegistry,
-  startHermesRuntimeBestEffort,
 } from '../../../../src/lib/agents/runtime'
-import type { RuntimeAction } from '../../../../src/lib/agents/runtime/types'
 import type {
   ManagedContainerDeps,
   MountRoot,
@@ -159,6 +157,7 @@ describe('HermesContainerRuntime', () => {
     const runtime = new HermesContainerRuntime(deps, {
       hermesHarnessHostDir: '/host/browseros/vm/hermes/harness',
     })
+    runtime.descriptor.readinessProbe = { timeoutMs: 20, intervalMs: 1 }
     await expect(runtime.start()).rejects.toThrow(/probe failed/i)
     expect(runtime.getState()).toBe('errored')
   })
@@ -251,77 +250,4 @@ describe('HermesContainerRuntime', () => {
       )
     })
   })
-
-  describe('startHermesRuntimeBestEffort', () => {
-    it('configures Hermes and schedules install + start actions', async () => {
-      const actions: RuntimeAction[] = []
-      const runtime = {
-        executeAction: async (action: RuntimeAction) => {
-          actions.push(action)
-        },
-      } as HermesContainerRuntime
-
-      const result = startHermesRuntimeBestEffort({
-        resourcesDir: '/Applications/BrowserOS.app/Contents/Resources',
-        configureRuntime: (options) => {
-          expect(options).toEqual({
-            resourcesDir: '/Applications/BrowserOS.app/Contents/Resources',
-          })
-          return runtime
-        },
-        onError: (phase, error) => {
-          throw new Error(`${phase}: ${String(error)}`)
-        },
-      })
-
-      expect(result).toBe(runtime)
-      expect(actions).toEqual([{ type: 'install' }, { type: 'start' }])
-    })
-
-    it('returns null when Hermes configuration throws', () => {
-      const errors: Array<{ phase: string; message: string }> = []
-
-      const result = startHermesRuntimeBestEffort({
-        configureRuntime: () => {
-          throw new Error('unsupported')
-        },
-        onError: (phase, error) => {
-          errors.push({
-            phase,
-            message: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
-          })
-        },
-      })
-
-      expect(result).toBeNull()
-      expect(errors).toEqual([{ phase: 'configure', message: 'unsupported' }])
-    })
-
-    it('reports install and start failures without throwing', async () => {
-      const errors: Array<{ phase: string; message: string }> = []
-      const runtime = {
-        executeAction: async (action: RuntimeAction) => {
-          throw new Error(`${action.type} failed`)
-        },
-      } as HermesContainerRuntime
-
-      const result = startHermesRuntimeBestEffort({
-        configureRuntime: () => runtime,
-        onError: (phase, error) => {
-          errors.push({
-            phase,
-            message: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
-          })
-        },
-      })
-
-      expect(result).toBe(runtime)
-      await Promise.resolve()
-      await Promise.resolve()
-      expect(errors).toEqual([
-        { phase: 'install', message: 'install failed' },
-        { phase: 'start', message: 'start failed' },
-      ])
-    })
-  })
 })
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/container/managed/managed-container.test.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/container/managed/managed-container.test.ts
index 712dee267..651c8d6f9 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/container/managed/managed-container.test.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/container/managed/managed-container.test.ts
@@ -48,10 +48,12 @@ class TestContainer extends ManagedContainer {
     defaultImage: 'docker.io/test:latest',
     containerName: 'test-container',
     platforms: ['darwin' as NodeJS.Platform],
+    readinessProbe: { timeoutMs: 20, intervalMs: 1 },
   }
 
   probeOutcome: boolean | Error = true
   probeCalls = 0
+  falseProbeCallsBeforeSuccess = 0
 
   protected mountRoots(): readonly MountRoot[] {
     return [
@@ -73,6 +75,10 @@ class TestContainer extends ManagedContainer {
 
   protected async readinessProbe(): Promise<boolean> {
     this.probeCalls += 1
+    if (this.falseProbeCallsBeforeSuccess > 0) {
+      this.falseProbeCallsBeforeSuccess -= 1
+      return false
+    }
     if (this.probeOutcome instanceof Error) throw this.probeOutcome
     return this.probeOutcome
   }
@@ -169,6 +175,18 @@ describe('ManagedContainer', () => {
       expect(c.getStatusSnapshot().lastError).toMatch(/probe failed/i)
     })
 
+    it('retries readiness probe before landing in running', async () => {
+      const lockDir = mkTempDir()
+      const deps = makeFakeDeps({ lockDir })
+      const c = new TestContainer(deps)
+      c.falseProbeCallsBeforeSuccess = 2
+
+      await c.start()
+
+      expect(c.getState()).toBe('running')
+      expect(c.probeCalls).toBe(3)
+    })
+
     it('stop() force-transitions to stopped even from errored', async () => {
       const lockDir = mkTempDir()
       const deps = makeFakeDeps({ lockDir })
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/vm/vm-runtime.test.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/vm/vm-runtime.test.ts
index 0c3e7af42..c0d766abe 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/vm/vm-runtime.test.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/lib/vm/vm-runtime.test.ts
@@ -62,6 +62,39 @@ describe('VmRuntime', () => {
     ).resolves.toContain('mountPoint: "/mnt/browseros/vm"')
   })
 
+  it('serializes concurrent ensureReady calls against the same Lima home', async () => {
+    const limactlPath = await fakeLimactl(
+      { list: { stdout: '' }, create: {}, start: {} },
+      logPath,
+    )
+    const sshPath = await prepareReadySsh(limaHome, logPath)
+    const runtimeDeps = {
+      limactlPath,
+      limaHome,
+      sshPath,
+      templatePath,
+      browserosRoot: root,
+    }
+    const runtimeA = new VmRuntime(runtimeDeps)
+    const runtimeB = new VmRuntime(runtimeDeps)
+    const runtimeC = new VmRuntime(runtimeDeps)
+
+    await Promise.all([
+      runtimeA.ensureReady(),
+      runtimeB.ensureReady(),
+      runtimeC.ensureReady(),
+    ])
+
+    const log = await readFile(logPath, 'utf8')
+    expect(log.match(/ARGS:list --format json/g)).toHaveLength(1)
+    expect(
+      log.match(new RegExp(`ARGS:create --tty=false --name=${VM_NAME}`, 'g')),
+    ).toHaveLength(1)
+    expect(
+      log.match(new RegExp(`ARGS:start --tty=false ${VM_NAME}`, 'g')),
+    ).toHaveLength(1)
+  })
+
   it('returns fast when the VM is already running', async () => {
     const limactlPath = await fakeLimactl(
       {
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/main.test.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/main.test.ts
index 1c46194b0..387e7abd0 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/main.test.ts
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/apps/server/tests/main.test.ts
@@ -90,6 +90,28 @@ describe('Application.start', () => {
     })
   })
 
+  it('starts Claude, Codex, and Hermes runtimes without blocking HTTP startup', async () => {
+    const { Application, createHttpServer, runtimeActions } =
+      await setupApplicationTest()
+    const app = new Application(config)
+
+    await app.start()
+
+    expect(createHttpServer).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    expect(runtimeActions.claude).toEqual([
+      { type: 'install' },
+      { type: 'start' },
+    ])
+    expect(runtimeActions.codex).toEqual([
+      { type: 'install' },
+      { type: 'start' },
+    ])
+    expect(runtimeActions.hermes).toEqual([
+      { type: 'install' },
+      { type: 'start' },
+    ])
+  })
+
   it('stores the database below the BrowserOS directory instead of the execution directory', async () => {
     const originalBrowserosDir = process.env.BROWSEROS_DIR
     process.env.BROWSEROS_DIR = '/tmp/browseros-dogfood'
@@ -207,8 +229,32 @@ async function setupApplicationTest() {
       }) as never,
   )
 
-  const hermesExecuteAction = mock(async () => {})
-  const fakeHermesRuntime = { executeAction: hermesExecuteAction } as never
+  const runtimeActions = {
+    hermes: [] as Array<{ type: string }>,
+    claude: [] as Array<{ type: string }>,
+    codex: [] as Array<{ type: string }>,
+  }
+  const hermesExecuteAction = mock(async (action: { type: string }) => {
+    runtimeActions.hermes.push(action)
+  })
+  const fakeHermesRuntime = {
+    descriptor: { displayName: 'Hermes' },
+    executeAction: hermesExecuteAction,
+  } as never
+  const claudeExecuteAction = mock(async (action: { type: string }) => {
+    runtimeActions.claude.push(action)
+  })
+  const fakeClaudeRuntime = {
+    descriptor: { displayName: 'Claude Code' },
+    executeAction: claudeExecuteAction,
+  } as never
+  const codexExecuteAction = mock(async (action: { type: string }) => {
+    runtimeActions.codex.push(action)
+  })
+  const fakeCodexRuntime = {
+    descriptor: { displayName: 'Codex' },
+    executeAction: codexExecuteAction,
+  } as never
   spyOn(runtimeModule, 'configureHermesRuntime').mockImplementation(
     () => fakeHermesRuntime,
   )
@@ -216,10 +262,16 @@ async function setupApplicationTest() {
     () => fakeHermesRuntime,
   )
   spyOn(runtimeModule, 'configureClaudeRuntime').mockImplementation(
-    () => ({}) as never,
+    () => fakeClaudeRuntime,
   )
   spyOn(runtimeModule, 'configureCodexRuntime').mockImplementation(
-    () => ({}) as never,
+    () => fakeCodexRuntime,
+  )
+  spyOn(runtimeModule, 'getClaudeRuntime').mockImplementation(
+    () => fakeClaudeRuntime,
+  )
+  spyOn(runtimeModule, 'getCodexRuntime').mockImplementation(
+    () => fakeCodexRuntime,
   )
 
   const { Application } = await import('../src/main')
@@ -234,5 +286,8 @@ async function setupApplicationTest() {
     initializeDb,
     openClawService: { prewarm, tryAutoStart },
     hermesService: { executeAction: hermesExecuteAction },
+    claudeService: { executeAction: claudeExecuteAction },
+    codexService: { executeAction: codexExecuteAction },
+    runtimeActions,
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/packages/shared/package.json b/packages/browseros-agent/packages/shared/package.json
index 08d791be6..a8542c62d 100644
--- a/packages/browseros-agent/packages/shared/package.json
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/packages/shared/package.json
@@ -41,6 +41,14 @@
       "types": "./src/constants/hermes.ts",
       "default": "./src/constants/hermes.ts"
     },
+    "./constants/claude": {
+      "types": "./src/constants/claude.ts",
+      "default": "./src/constants/claude.ts"
+    },
+    "./constants/codex": {
+      "types": "./src/constants/codex.ts",
+      "default": "./src/constants/codex.ts"
+    },
     "./constants/tool-approval": {
       "types": "./src/constants/tool-approval.ts",
       "default": "./src/constants/tool-approval.ts"
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/packages/shared/src/constants/claude.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/packages/shared/src/constants/claude.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b479e95ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/packages/shared/src/constants/claude.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+export const CLAUDE_AGENT_NAME = 'claude'
+export const CLAUDE_IMAGE = 'docker.io/library/node:20-bookworm-slim'
+export const CLAUDE_COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME = 'browseros-claude'
+export const CLAUDE_CONTAINER_NAME = `${CLAUDE_COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME}-claude-agent-1`
diff --git a/packages/browseros-agent/packages/shared/src/constants/codex.ts b/packages/browseros-agent/packages/shared/src/constants/codex.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d73601e8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/browseros-agent/packages/shared/src/constants/codex.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+export const CODEX_AGENT_NAME = 'codex'
+export const CODEX_IMAGE = 'docker.io/library/node:20-bookworm-slim'
+export const CODEX_COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME = 'browseros-codex'
+export const CODEX_CONTAINER_NAME = `${CODEX_COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME}-codex-agent-1`