diff --git a/deploy/rsync-pi-agent.sh b/deploy/rsync-pi-agent.sh
index 3d2904c..ee19da6 100755
--- a/deploy/rsync-pi-agent.sh
+++ b/deploy/rsync-pi-agent.sh
@@ -59,7 +59,8 @@ for pkg in settings.get("packages") or []:
     subprocess.run(["git", "clone", "--quiet", url, str(target)], check=True)
     if ref:
         subprocess.run(["git", "checkout", "--quiet", ref], cwd=target, check=True)
-    shutil.rmtree(target / ".git", ignore_errors=True)
+    # keep .git: pi's package manager runs `git fetch` + `rev-parse` on
+    # existing installs; a stripped dir would fail resolution.
     if (target / "package.json").exists():
         npm = "/usr/bin/npm" if Path("/usr/bin/npm").exists() else "npm"
         subprocess.run(
diff --git a/docker/control.Dockerfile b/docker/control.Dockerfile
index 7e0bb49..9de8676 100644
--- a/docker/control.Dockerfile
+++ b/docker/control.Dockerfile
@@ -13,9 +13,9 @@ RUN apt-get update \
 RUN npm install -g --ignore-scripts @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent
 
 # Same npm shim as the worker image (see worker.Dockerfile).
-RUN mv /usr/local/bin/npm /usr/local/bin/npm-real
+COPY docker/npm-real /usr/local/bin/npm-real
 COPY docker/npm-shim /usr/local/bin/npm
-RUN chmod +x /usr/local/bin/npm
+RUN chmod +x /usr/local/bin/npm-real /usr/local/bin/npm
 
 # Same pi config as workers (dotfiles, filtered; git: packages stripped).
 COPY docker/pi-agent/ /root/.pi/agent/
diff --git a/docker/npm-real b/docker/npm-real
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e039f3f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/npm-real
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Thin launcher for the real npm CLI (npm ships as JS, not a binary).
+exec node /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npm-cli.js "$@"
diff --git a/docker/npm-shim b/docker/npm-shim
index 5ecc0ed..c6f6da0 100644
--- a/docker/npm-shim
+++ b/docker/npm-shim
@@ -1,16 +1,15 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 # npm shim for headless pi containers: skip lifecycle scripts during package
-# installs. pi installs git: packages by running `npm install --omit=dev` in
-# each clone; some upstream packages (e.g. husky in rpiv-mono) have
-# postinstall scripts that assume a dev machine and fail/crash headless
-# installs. --ignore-scripts makes installs safe; runtime code (pure TS/JS
-# extensions) does not need lifecycle scripts. Everything else passes through
-# to the real npm transparently.
+# installs. pi installs git: packages by running `npm install` in each clone;
+# some upstream packages (e.g. husky in rpiv-mono) have postinstall scripts
+# that assume a dev machine and fail headless installs. --ignore-scripts
+# makes installs safe; runtime code (pure TS/JS extensions) does not need
+# installs. Everything else passes through to the real npm (docker/npm-real).
 case "$1" in
   install|i)
-    exec /usr/bin/npm-real "$@" --ignore-scripts
+    exec /usr/local/bin/npm-real "$@" --ignore-scripts
     ;;
   *)
-    exec /usr/bin/npm-real "$@"
+    exec /usr/local/bin/npm-real "$@"
     ;;
 esac
diff --git a/docker/worker.Dockerfile b/docker/worker.Dockerfile
index d8811e2..4a20583 100644
--- a/docker/worker.Dockerfile
+++ b/docker/worker.Dockerfile
@@ -17,9 +17,9 @@ RUN npm install -g --ignore-scripts @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent
 # scripts (husky etc.) crash headless installs. Route installs through
 # --ignore-scripts so ALL dotfiles packages (pi-subagents, todo tooling,
 # async agents, every extension) survive the bake.
-RUN mv /usr/local/bin/npm /usr/local/bin/npm-real
+COPY docker/npm-real /usr/local/bin/npm-real
 COPY docker/npm-shim /usr/local/bin/npm
-RUN chmod +x /usr/local/bin/npm
+RUN chmod +x /usr/local/bin/npm-real /usr/local/bin/npm
 
 # User's pi config from dotfiles (settings, skills, agents, extensions,
 # APPEND_SYSTEM.md) — synced by deploy.sh from ~/.dotfiles/pi/agent (filtered: