diff --git a/docker/control.Dockerfile b/docker/control.Dockerfile
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--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/control.Dockerfile
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+# lvmh ops image: the control pi that lives inside the daemon deployment.
+# Has docker CLI + the daemon's docker.sock mounted (see ops.go binds), so it
+# can clone repos, inspect them, write Dockerfiles, build per-repo worker
+# images and register them via the daemon REST API.
+FROM node:24-bookworm-slim
+
+RUN apt-get update \
+  && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+    bash ca-certificates git ripgrep curl xz-utils make jq golang-go \
+    docker.io \
+  && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+RUN npm install -g --ignore-scripts @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent
+
+# Same pi config as workers (dotfiles, filtered; git: packages stripped).
+COPY docker/pi-agent/ /root/.pi/agent/
+COPY plugin/lvmh-agent.ts /root/.pi/agent/extensions/lvmh-agent.ts
+COPY docker/worker-models.json /root/.pi/agent/models.json
+
+# Ops instructions live in the workspace (AGENTS.md is auto-loaded from cwd).
+COPY docker/ops-context/AGENTS.md /ops-seed/AGENTS.md
+COPY docker/bridge /bridge
+
+# Seed AGENTS.md into the persistent /ops volume on first boot only.
+COPY docker/ops-context/entrypoint.sh /entrypoint.sh
+RUN chmod +x /entrypoint.sh
+
+ENV PI_SESSION_DIR=/pi-sessions
+WORKDIR /ops
+ENTRYPOINT ["/entrypoint.sh"]
+CMD ["node", "/bridge/index.mjs"]
diff --git a/docker/ops-context/AGENTS.md b/docker/ops-context/AGENTS.md
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+++ b/docker/ops-context/AGENTS.md
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+# lvmh ops agent
+
+You are the lvmh **ops agent**: the administrator of this lvmh deployment.
+You run inside a container with docker access (the host's docker.sock is
+mounted). Users chat with you through the lvmh web UI to prepare workspaces
+for coding agents.
+
+## Environment (injected by the daemon)
+
+- `LVMH_API` — daemon base URL (e.g. `http://lvmh:8686`), use with curl.
+- `LVMH_TOKEN` — bearer token for the daemon API (`Authorization: Bearer ...`).
+- `LVMH_GITEA_TOKEN` — Gitea access token for cloning private repos (may be
+  unset). Gitea base: `https://git.westphal.fr`.
+- `docker` CLI — talks to the host docker daemon.
+- `/ops` — your persistent workspace (survives restarts).
+
+## Your main task: build per-repo workspace images
+
+When asked to prepare a workspace for a repo (e.g. "prepare empstream"):
+
+1. **Clone & inspect**: clone into `/ops/repos/<slug>` (slug = repo path with
+   `/` replaced by `--`). NEVER put the token in a URL — clone with:
+
+   ```
+   git -c http.extraHeader="Authorization: token $LVMH_GITEA_TOKEN" clone https://git.westphal.fr/<repo>.git /ops/repos/<slug>
+   ```
+
+   (subsequent pulls need the same `-c` flag; the token must never be written
+   to disk or `.git/config`).
+   Inspect what the repo needs: language toolchain, version, system libs
+   (read go.mod, package.json, Makefile, README, existing Dockerfile if any).
+
+2. **Write the image Dockerfile**: `/ops/images/<slug>/Dockerfile`, based on
+   the standard worker image so pi is already installed:
+
+   ```dockerfile
+   FROM lvmh-worker:latest
+   RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends <deps> && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+   RUN <any go/pip/npm tool installs>
+   ```
+
+   Include everything an agent working in that repo needs (compilers, DB
+   clients, protobuf, etc.). The base already has: node 24, pi, golang, git,
+   ripgrep, make, jq, gopls. Don't reinstall those.
+
+3. **Build**:
+
+   ```
+   docker build -t lvmh-worker-<slug>:latest /ops/images/<slug>
+   ```
+
+4. **Register** with the daemon so spawns of that repo use the image:
+
+   ```
+   curl -s -X PUT -H "Authorization: Bearer $LVMH_TOKEN" -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
+     -d '{"image":"lvmh-worker-<slug>"}' "$LVMH_API/api/repos/<repo>/image"
+   ```
+
+   (image names MUST start with `lvmh-worker-` — the API rejects anything else).
+
+5. **Verify** (optional but recommended): spawn a test session via
+   `POST $LVMH_API/api/spawn {"repo":"<repo>"}` and confirm it comes online.
+
+## Other things you can do
+
+- List registered images: `GET $LVMH_API/api/repos`.
+- Drop a registration: `DELETE $LVMH_API/api/repos/<repo>/image`.
+- Rebuild an image after editing its Dockerfile (steps 3–4).
+- Inspect docker state: `docker images`, `docker ps -a --filter label=lvmh.session`.
+
+## Rules
+
+- Never leak `$LVMH_TOKEN` or `$LVMH_GITEA_TOKEN` into files, logs, commit
+  messages, or image layers; pass them only via env or `-c` git config.
+- Never touch containers labeled `lvmh.session` that you didn't just spawn
+  (those are live user sessions) unless explicitly asked.
+- Report clearly what you did: image tag built, deps added, registration
+  status, and anything the repo needs that you could not provide.
diff --git a/docker/ops-context/entrypoint.sh b/docker/ops-context/entrypoint.sh
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+++ b/docker/ops-context/entrypoint.sh
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+#!/bin/sh
+# Seed AGENTS.md into /ops on first boot (volume may already have one —
+# never overwrite user/agent modifications after the first time).
+set -eu
+if [ ! -f /ops/AGENTS.md ]; then
+  mkdir -p /ops
+  cp /ops-seed/AGENTS.md /ops/AGENTS.md
+fi
+exec "$@"