diff --git a/.agents/skills/test-release-canary/SKILL.md b/.agents/skills/test-release-canary/SKILL.md
index 5e8bbf394c..ad000d25be 100644
--- a/.agents/skills/test-release-canary/SKILL.md
+++ b/.agents/skills/test-release-canary/SKILL.md
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ The Release Canary (`.github/workflows/release-canary.yml`) smoke-tests the arti
 |---|---|---|
 | `macos` | `macos-latest-xlarge` | `install.sh` resolves the Homebrew formula, brew installs the cask, and `openshell status` reaches the brew-services–backed local gateway with the VM driver. |
 | `ubuntu` | `ubuntu-latest` | `install.sh` installs the Debian package, the post-install systemd user service starts, and `openshell status` reaches the local gateway with the Docker driver. |
-| `fedora` | `fedora:latest` container | `install.sh` installs the RPM packages, the local gateway starts under Podman, and `openshell status` succeeds. |
+| `fedora` | `linux-amd64-cpu8` + Fedora Nix VM | `install.sh` installs the RPM packages, the root-owned local gateway starts with rootful Podman, and `openshell status` succeeds. |
 | `kubernetes` | `ubuntu-latest` + kind | `helm install oci://ghcr.io/nvidia/openshell/helm-chart --version 0.0.0-dev` succeeds in a kind cluster, the gateway pod becomes Ready, port-forward exposes 8080, and the released CLI registers the in-cluster gateway and runs `openshell status` against it. |
 
 All canary jobs disable anonymous OpenShell telemetry. Host package jobs inject
@@ -116,6 +116,41 @@ Swap `0.0.0-dev` for `0.0.0-dev.<sha>` to pin to a specific dev build. Tear down
 
 Loopback registration auto-derives the gateway name to `openshell` if `--name` is omitted, which collides with the `install.sh`-installed local gateway — always pass `--name kind` (or another distinct name) when registering in addition to a local install.
 
+## Local Fedora reproduction
+
+The `fedora` job uses the repository's Nix test-guest harness instead of
+running Fedora inside Docker. It can be reproduced on a Linux host with Nix,
+KVM, and the repository checkout:
+
+```shell
+export INSTALL_SH_URL="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NVIDIA/OpenShell/$(git rev-parse HEAD)/install.sh"
+nix run .#test-guest -- \
+  --distro fedora \
+  --with podman-rootful \
+  -- \
+  sudo env \
+    SUDO_USER=root \
+    HOME=/root \
+    XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/0 \
+    DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:path=/run/user/0/bus \
+    OPENSHELL_TELEMETRY_ENABLED=false \
+    INSTALL_SH_URL="$INSTALL_SH_URL" \
+    bash -s <<'EOF'
+set -euo pipefail
+mkdir -p "${XDG_RUNTIME_DIR}"
+chmod 700 "${XDG_RUNTIME_DIR}"
+systemctl start user-runtime-dir@0.service || true
+systemctl start user@0.service
+systemctl --user daemon-reload
+mkdir -p "${HOME}/.config/openshell"
+printf 'OPENSHELL_DRIVERS=podman\nOPENSHELL_PODMAN_SOCKET=/run/podman/podman.sock\nOPENSHELL_TELEMETRY_ENABLED=%s\n' \
+  "$OPENSHELL_TELEMETRY_ENABLED" > "${HOME}/.config/openshell/gateway.env"
+podman --url unix:///run/podman/podman.sock info
+curl -LsSf "${INSTALL_SH_URL}" | sh
+openshell status
+EOF
+```
+
 ## Diagnosing failures
 
 | Symptom | Likely cause | Where to look |
diff --git a/.github/actions/setup-e2e-sandbox/action.yml b/.github/actions/setup-e2e-sandbox/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..11e33cbd96
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/setup-e2e-sandbox/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+name: Setup E2E Sandbox
+description: Download an architecture-matched prebuilt OpenShell sandbox binary for E2E tests
+
+inputs:
+  artifact-prefix:
+    description: Artifact name prefix; linux-<arch> is appended automatically
+    required: true
+
+runs:
+  using: composite
+  steps:
+    - name: Download prebuilt sandbox
+      uses: actions/download-artifact@3e5f45b2cfb9172054b4087a40e8e0b5a5461e7c # v8.0.1
+      with:
+        name: ${{ format('{0}-linux-{1}', inputs.artifact-prefix, runner.arch == 'X64' && 'amd64' || 'arm64') }}
+        path: .e2e/prebuilt-sandbox
+
+    - name: Configure prebuilt sandbox
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        set -euo pipefail
+        sandbox="$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/.e2e/prebuilt-sandbox/openshell-sandbox"
+        if [[ ! -f "$sandbox" ]]; then
+          echo "downloaded artifact is missing $sandbox" >&2
+          exit 1
+        fi
+        chmod +x "$sandbox"
+        "$sandbox" --version
+        echo "OPENSHELL_SANDBOX_BIN=$sandbox" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/branch-e2e.yml b/.github/workflows/branch-e2e.yml
index 2b4d9d5d46..49cf303fe9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/branch-e2e.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/branch-e2e.yml
@@ -136,6 +136,8 @@ jobs:
       runner: linux-arm64-cpu8
       cli-artifact-prefix: rust-binary-cli
       gateway-artifact-prefix: rust-binary-gateway
+      # The supervisor build uploads the openshell-sandbox binary artifact.
+      sandbox-artifact-prefix: rust-binary-supervisor
       vm-driver-artifact-name: driver-vm-linux-amd64
 
   gpu-e2e:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/e2e-test.yml b/.github/workflows/e2e-test.yml
index d3e4230636..6e12be530a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/e2e-test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/e2e-test.yml
@@ -27,6 +27,11 @@ on:
         required: false
         type: string
         default: ""
+      sandbox-artifact-prefix:
+        description: "Optional prebuilt sandbox artifact prefix (artifact suffix is linux-<arch>)"
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: ""
       vm-driver-artifact-name:
         description: "Optional prebuilt VM driver artifact name"
         required: false
@@ -129,6 +134,154 @@ jobs:
           OPENSHELL_MCP_CONFORMANCE_CLIENT_IMAGE: ${{ format('openshell-mcp-conformance-client:{0}', inputs.image-tag) }}
         run: ${{ matrix.cmd }}
 
+  e2e-podman-rootless:
+    name: E2E (rust-podman-rootless, Ubuntu 26.04 Nix VM)
+    # Run rootless Podman inside a Nix-managed Ubuntu guest so Podman, pasta,
+    # and user-namespace setup are provisioned by versioned repository tooling
+    # rather than mutable hosted-runner packages.
+    runs-on: ubuntu-26.04
+    timeout-minutes: 60
+    env:
+      MISE_GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ inputs['checkout-ref'] || github.sha }}
+          persist-credentials: false
+
+      - name: Use prebuilt OpenShell CLI
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-e2e-cli
+        with:
+          artifact-prefix: ${{ inputs.cli-artifact-prefix }}
+
+      - name: Use prebuilt OpenShell gateway
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-e2e-gateway
+        with:
+          artifact-prefix: ${{ inputs.gateway-artifact-prefix }}
+
+      - name: Use prebuilt OpenShell sandbox
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-e2e-sandbox
+        with:
+          artifact-prefix: ${{ inputs.sandbox-artifact-prefix }}
+
+      - uses: cachix/install-nix-action@13d8dd58da0234aa297dedd986986ccb8e7f3e24 # v31.11.1
+        with:
+          github_access_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - uses: cachix/cachix-action@5f2d7c5294214f71b873db4b969586b980625e71 # v17
+        with:
+          name: openshell
+
+      - name: Install mise
+        run: |
+          curl https://mise.run | MISE_VERSION=v2026.4.25 sh
+          echo "$HOME/.local/bin" >> "$GITHUB_PATH"
+          echo "$HOME/.local/share/mise/shims" >> "$GITHUB_PATH"
+
+      - name: Install tools
+        run: mise install --locked
+
+      - name: Install system dependencies
+        run: |
+          sudo apt-get update
+          sudo apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+            build-essential \
+            clang \
+            cmake \
+            libclang-dev \
+            libssl-dev \
+            libz3-dev \
+            openssh-client \
+            pkg-config
+
+      - name: Run rootless Podman E2E
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+
+          mise x -- e2e/run.sh \
+            --vm ubuntu-26-04 \
+            --with podman-rootless \
+            --host-cli-bin "$OPENSHELL_BIN" \
+            --gateway-bin "$OPENSHELL_GATEWAY_BIN" \
+            --sandbox-bin "$OPENSHELL_SANDBOX_BIN" \
+            --gateway-config e2e/configs/gateway/podman.toml \
+            --features e2e-podman
+
+  e2e-podman-fedora-rootful:
+    name: E2E (rust-podman-rootful, Fedora Nix VM)
+    # Run rootful Podman inside a Nix-managed Fedora guest. This exercises the
+    # RPM-family rootful bridge/listener topology without nesting Podman inside
+    # a Docker job container.
+    runs-on: ubuntu-26.04
+    timeout-minutes: 60
+    env:
+      MISE_GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ inputs['checkout-ref'] || github.sha }}
+          persist-credentials: false
+
+      - name: Use prebuilt OpenShell CLI
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-e2e-cli
+        with:
+          artifact-prefix: ${{ inputs.cli-artifact-prefix }}
+
+      - name: Use prebuilt OpenShell gateway
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-e2e-gateway
+        with:
+          artifact-prefix: ${{ inputs.gateway-artifact-prefix }}
+
+      - name: Use prebuilt OpenShell sandbox
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-e2e-sandbox
+        with:
+          artifact-prefix: ${{ inputs.sandbox-artifact-prefix }}
+
+      - uses: cachix/install-nix-action@13d8dd58da0234aa297dedd986986ccb8e7f3e24 # v31.11.1
+        with:
+          github_access_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - uses: cachix/cachix-action@5f2d7c5294214f71b873db4b969586b980625e71 # v17
+        with:
+          name: openshell
+
+      - name: Install mise
+        run: |
+          curl https://mise.run | MISE_VERSION=v2026.4.25 sh
+          echo "$HOME/.local/bin" >> "$GITHUB_PATH"
+          echo "$HOME/.local/share/mise/shims" >> "$GITHUB_PATH"
+
+      - name: Install tools
+        run: mise install --locked
+
+      - name: Install system dependencies
+        run: |
+          sudo apt-get update
+          sudo apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+            build-essential \
+            clang \
+            cmake \
+            libclang-dev \
+            libssl-dev \
+            libz3-dev \
+            openssh-client \
+            pkg-config
+
+      - name: Run Fedora rootful Podman E2E
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+
+          mise x -- e2e/run.sh \
+            --vm fedora \
+            --with podman-rootful \
+            --guest-gateway-user root \
+            --host-cli-bin "$OPENSHELL_BIN" \
+            --gateway-bin "$OPENSHELL_GATEWAY_BIN" \
+            --sandbox-bin "$OPENSHELL_SANDBOX_BIN" \
+            --gateway-config e2e/configs/gateway/podman-rootful.toml \
+            --features e2e-podman \
+            --suite sandbox_lifecycle
+
   e2e-vm:
     name: E2E (rust-vm-${{ matrix.suite }})
     # libkrun needs KVM, so this job must run directly on a GitHub-hosted
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-canary.yml b/.github/workflows/release-canary.yml
index 937e774db7..1507e41e4a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-canary.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-canary.yml
@@ -61,53 +61,43 @@ jobs:
     name: Fedora RPM
     if: ${{ github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'success' }}
     runs-on: linux-amd64-cpu8
-    timeout-minutes: 20
+    timeout-minutes: 30
     env:
-      FEDORA_CANARY_CONTAINER: openshell-fedora-canary-${{ github.run_id }}-${{ github.run_attempt }}
+      INSTALL_SH_URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NVIDIA/OpenShell/${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_sha || github.sha }}/install.sh
     steps:
-      - name: Start Fedora systemd container and root user manager
-        run: |
-          set -euo pipefail
+      - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          persist-credentials: false
 
-          docker run --detach \
-            --name "${FEDORA_CANARY_CONTAINER}" \
-            --privileged \
-            --cgroupns=host \
-            --tmpfs /run \
-            --tmpfs /tmp \
-            --volume /sys/fs/cgroup:/sys/fs/cgroup:rw \
-            fedora:latest \
-            bash -lc 'dnf install -y curl dbus-daemon podman systemd && exec /usr/sbin/init'
-
-          for _ in $(seq 1 120); do
-            if docker exec "${FEDORA_CANARY_CONTAINER}" systemctl list-units --no-pager >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-              break
-            fi
-            if [ "$(docker inspect -f '{{.State.Running}}' "${FEDORA_CANARY_CONTAINER}")" != "true" ]; then
-              echo "::error::Fedora systemd container exited before systemd became reachable"
-              docker logs "${FEDORA_CANARY_CONTAINER}" >&2 || true
-              exit 1
-            fi
-            sleep 1
-          done
+      - uses: cachix/install-nix-action@13d8dd58da0234aa297dedd986986ccb8e7f3e24 # v31.11.1
+        with:
+          github_access_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
 
-          if ! docker exec "${FEDORA_CANARY_CONTAINER}" systemctl list-units --no-pager >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-            echo "::error::Fedora systemd container did not become reachable within 120s"
-            docker logs "${FEDORA_CANARY_CONTAINER}" >&2 || true
-            exit 1
-          fi
+      - uses: cachix/cachix-action@5f2d7c5294214f71b873db4b969586b980625e71 # v17
+        with:
+          name: openshell
+
+      - name: Install RPM in Fedora rootful Podman VM and check status
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
 
-          docker exec --interactive "${FEDORA_CANARY_CONTAINER}" env \
+          nix run .#test-guest -- \
+            --distro fedora \
+            --with podman-rootful \
+            -- \
+            sudo env \
+            SUDO_USER=root \
             HOME=/root \
             XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/0 \
             DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:path=/run/user/0/bus \
+            OPENSHELL_TELEMETRY_ENABLED="$OPENSHELL_TELEMETRY_ENABLED" \
+            INSTALL_SH_URL="$INSTALL_SH_URL" \
             bash -s <<'EOF'
           set -euo pipefail
-          # install.sh manages the RPM gateway as a systemd user unit. This
-          # container is booted with systemd as PID 1, but it still has no
-          # login session. Start root's user manager explicitly so the
-          # installer can test service restart and gateway registration
-          # instead of its "restart later" fallback.
+
+          # install.sh manages the RPM gateway as a systemd user unit. Start
+          # root's user manager explicitly so the canary exercises the rootful
+          # service path on a real Fedora VM.
           mkdir -p "${XDG_RUNTIME_DIR}"
           chmod 700 "${XDG_RUNTIME_DIR}"
           systemctl start user-runtime-dir@0.service || true
@@ -125,33 +115,15 @@ jobs:
             systemctl --user status --no-pager >&2 || true
             exit 1
           fi
-          EOF
-
-      - name: Install and check status
-        run: |
-          set -euo pipefail
 
-          docker exec --interactive "${FEDORA_CANARY_CONTAINER}" env \
-            HOME=/root \
-            XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/0 \
-            DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:path=/run/user/0/bus \
-            OPENSHELL_TELEMETRY_ENABLED="$OPENSHELL_TELEMETRY_ENABLED" \
-            INSTALL_SH_URL="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NVIDIA/OpenShell/${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_sha || github.sha }}/install.sh" \
-            bash -s <<'EOF'
-          set -euo pipefail
           mkdir -p "${HOME}/.config/openshell"
-          printf 'OPENSHELL_DRIVERS=podman\nOPENSHELL_TELEMETRY_ENABLED=%s\n' \
+          printf 'OPENSHELL_DRIVERS=podman\nOPENSHELL_PODMAN_SOCKET=/run/podman/podman.sock\nOPENSHELL_TELEMETRY_ENABLED=%s\n' \
             "$OPENSHELL_TELEMETRY_ENABLED" > "${HOME}/.config/openshell/gateway.env"
-          podman info
+          podman --url unix:///run/podman/podman.sock info
           curl -LsSf "${INSTALL_SH_URL}" | sh
           openshell status
           EOF
 
-      - name: Stop Fedora systemd container
-        if: always()
-        run: |
-          docker rm -f "${FEDORA_CANARY_CONTAINER}" >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
-
   ubuntu-snap:
     name: Ubuntu Snap
     if: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'success' }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-dev.yml b/.github/workflows/release-dev.yml
index 500fcb4be6..8b677ff07c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-dev.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-dev.yml
@@ -69,8 +69,16 @@ jobs:
       cargo-version: ${{ needs.compute-versions.outputs.cargo_version }}
       auditable: true
 
+  build-cli:
+    needs: [compute-versions]
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/docker-build.yml
+    with:
+      component: cli
+      cargo-version: ${{ needs.compute-versions.outputs.cargo_version }}
+      auditable: true
+
   e2e:
-    needs: [build-gateway, build-supervisor]
+    needs: [build-gateway, build-supervisor, build-cli]
     permissions:
       actions: read
       contents: read
@@ -79,6 +87,10 @@ jobs:
     with:
       image-tag: ${{ github.sha }}
       runner: linux-arm64-cpu8
+      cli-artifact-prefix: rust-binary-cli
+      gateway-artifact-prefix: rust-binary-gateway
+      # The supervisor build uploads the openshell-sandbox binary artifact.
+      sandbox-artifact-prefix: rust-binary-supervisor
 
   tag-ghcr-dev:
     name: Tag GHCR Images as Dev
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-tag.yml b/.github/workflows/release-tag.yml
index 74be300b0c..0b3a9bc625 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-tag.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-tag.yml
@@ -93,8 +93,18 @@ jobs:
       checkout-ref: ${{ inputs.tag || github.ref }}
       auditable: true
 
+  build-cli:
+    needs: [compute-versions]
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/docker-build.yml
+    with:
+      component: cli
+      cargo-version: ${{ needs.compute-versions.outputs.cargo_version }}
+      image-tag: ${{ needs.compute-versions.outputs.source_sha }}
+      checkout-ref: ${{ inputs.tag || github.ref }}
+      auditable: true
+
   e2e:
-    needs: [compute-versions, build-gateway, build-supervisor]
+    needs: [compute-versions, build-gateway, build-supervisor, build-cli]
     permissions:
       actions: read
       contents: read
@@ -104,6 +114,10 @@ jobs:
       image-tag: ${{ needs.compute-versions.outputs.source_sha }}
       checkout-ref: ${{ inputs.tag || github.ref }}
       runner: linux-arm64-cpu8
+      cli-artifact-prefix: rust-binary-cli
+      gateway-artifact-prefix: rust-binary-gateway
+      # The supervisor build uploads the openshell-sandbox binary artifact.
+      sandbox-artifact-prefix: rust-binary-supervisor
 
   tag-ghcr-release:
     name: Tag GHCR Images for Release
diff --git a/TESTING.md b/TESTING.md
index 6c0829060d..3643ca7d22 100644
--- a/TESTING.md
+++ b/TESTING.md
@@ -175,6 +175,18 @@ Run the Podman-backed Rust CLI e2e suite:
 mise run e2e:podman
 ```
 
+Run the rootless Podman suite in an Ubuntu 26.04 Nix test guest:
+
+```shell
+mise run e2e:podman:rootless
+```
+
+Run the focused rootful Podman suite in a Fedora Nix test guest:
+
+```shell
+mise run e2e:podman:fedora-rootful
+```
+
 Run the VM-backed Rust CLI e2e suite:
 
 ```shell
diff --git a/e2e/configs/gateway/podman-rootful.toml b/e2e/configs/gateway/podman-rootful.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..57bf093ed0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e/configs/gateway/podman-rootful.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2025-2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+[openshell]
+version = 1
+
+[openshell.gateway]
+bind_address = "127.0.0.1:8080"
+log_level = "info"
+compute_drivers = ["podman"]
+disable_tls = true
+
+[openshell.gateway.auth]
+allow_unauthenticated_users = true
+
+[openshell.gateway.gateway_jwt]
+signing_key_path = ".cache/openshell-e2e/gateway-jwt/signing.pem"
+public_key_path = ".cache/openshell-e2e/gateway-jwt/public.pem"
+kid_path = ".cache/openshell-e2e/gateway-jwt/kid"
+gateway_id = "openshell-e2e"
+ttl_secs = 0
+
+[openshell.drivers.podman]
+socket_path = "/run/podman/podman.sock"
+default_image = "ghcr.io/nvidia/openshell-community/sandboxes/base:latest"
+image_pull_policy = "missing"
+network_name = "openshell-e2e"
+grpc_endpoint = "http://host.containers.internal:8080"
+supervisor_image = "localhost/openshell/supervisor:e2e-vm"
diff --git a/e2e/run.sh b/e2e/run.sh
index 0505730f05..d3abdd39a4 100755
--- a/e2e/run.sh
+++ b/e2e/run.sh
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
 # Build the current checkout, run its gateway on the host or in a disposable
-# Nix test guest, and execute one named host-side E2E suite against that gateway.
+# Nix test guest, and execute host-side E2E tests against that gateway.
 
 set -Eeuo pipefail
 
@@ -20,13 +20,19 @@ usage() {
 	cat <<'EOF'
 Usage:
   e2e/run.sh [--vm DISTRO] [--with CONFIG ...] \
-    --gateway-config PATH --suite NAME
+    --gateway-config PATH [--features FEATURES] [--suite NAME]
 
 Options:
   --vm DISTRO          Run the gateway in a Nix test guest
   --with CONFIG        Apply a Nix test-guest configuration; repeatable
+  --host-cli-bin PATH  Use a prebuilt host openshell CLI instead of building it
+  --gateway-bin PATH   Use a prebuilt openshell-gateway instead of building it
+  --sandbox-bin PATH   Use a prebuilt openshell-sandbox instead of building it
+  --guest-gateway-user USER
+                       Run the VM guest gateway as USER (openshell or root)
   --gateway-config PATH
                        Fully resolved gateway TOML
+  --features FEATURES  Rust e2e feature set to enable (default: e2e)
   --suite NAME         Rust suite at e2e/rust/tests/NAME.rs
   -h, --help           Show this help
 
@@ -92,6 +98,11 @@ catalog_has_entry() {
 
 vm=
 gateway_config=
+gateway_bin=
+host_cli_bin=
+sandbox_bin=
+guest_gateway_user=openshell
+e2e_features=e2e
 suite_name=
 with_configurations=()
 
@@ -107,11 +118,36 @@ while [ "$#" -gt 0 ]; do
 		with_configurations+=("$2")
 		shift 2
 		;;
+	--host-cli-bin)
+		require_value "$1" "$#" "${2:-}"
+		host_cli_bin="$(resolve_file "$2")" || die "--host-cli-bin does not name a file: $2"
+		shift 2
+		;;
+	--gateway-bin)
+		require_value "$1" "$#" "${2:-}"
+		gateway_bin="$(resolve_file "$2")" || die "--gateway-bin does not name a file: $2"
+		shift 2
+		;;
+	--sandbox-bin)
+		require_value "$1" "$#" "${2:-}"
+		sandbox_bin="$(resolve_file "$2")" || die "--sandbox-bin does not name a file: $2"
+		shift 2
+		;;
+	--guest-gateway-user)
+		require_value "$1" "$#" "${2:-}"
+		guest_gateway_user=$2
+		shift 2
+		;;
 	--gateway-config)
 		require_value "$1" "$#" "${2:-}"
 		gateway_config=$2
 		shift 2
 		;;
+	--features)
+		require_value "$1" "$#" "${2:-}"
+		e2e_features=$2
+		shift 2
+		;;
 	--suite)
 		require_value "$1" "$#" "${2:-}"
 		suite_name=$2
@@ -130,9 +166,6 @@ done
 if [ -z "${gateway_config}" ]; then
 	die "--gateway-config is required"
 fi
-if [ -z "${suite_name}" ]; then
-	die "--suite is required"
-fi
 if ! command -v python3 >/dev/null 2>&1; then
 	die "python3 is required"
 fi
@@ -144,12 +177,21 @@ gateway_driver="$(python3 -c '
 import sys, tomllib
 print(tomllib.load(open(sys.argv[1], "rb"))["openshell"]["gateway"]["compute_drivers"][0])
 ' "${gateway_config}")"
-if [[ ! ${suite_name} =~ ^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9-]*$ ]]; then
-	die "suite name must contain only lowercase letters, digits, and hyphens: ${suite_name}"
+if [ -z "${e2e_features}" ]; then
+	die "--features must not be empty"
 fi
-suite_path="${ROOT}/e2e/rust/tests/${suite_name}.rs"
-if [ ! -f "${suite_path}" ]; then
-	die "unknown suite: ${suite_name}"
+case "${guest_gateway_user}" in
+openshell | root) ;;
+*) die "--guest-gateway-user must be 'openshell' or 'root'" ;;
+esac
+if [ -n "${suite_name}" ]; then
+	if [[ ! ${suite_name} =~ ^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9_-]*$ ]]; then
+		die "suite name must contain only lowercase letters, digits, underscores, and hyphens: ${suite_name}"
+	fi
+	suite_path="${ROOT}/e2e/rust/tests/${suite_name}.rs"
+	if [ ! -f "${suite_path}" ]; then
+		die "unknown suite: ${suite_name}"
+	fi
 fi
 mode=host
 if [ -n "${vm}" ] || [ "${#with_configurations[@]}" -gt 0 ]; then
@@ -158,7 +200,7 @@ if [ -n "${vm}" ] || [ "${#with_configurations[@]}" -gt 0 ]; then
 		if [ "${gateway_driver}" = podman ]; then
 			vm=fedora
 		else
-			vm=ubuntu
+			vm=ubuntu-24-04
 		fi
 	fi
 fi
@@ -171,8 +213,8 @@ if [ "${mode}" = vm ]; then
 			die "invalid VM configuration name: ${configuration}"
 		fi
 	done
-	if [ "${gateway_driver}" = podman ] && [ "${vm}" = ubuntu ]; then
-		die "the Ubuntu 24.04 guest lacks the Podman 5 pasta helper required for sandbox callbacks; use --vm fedora --with podman"
+	if [ "${gateway_driver}" = podman ] && [ "${vm}" = ubuntu-24-04 ]; then
+		die "the Ubuntu 24.04 guest lacks the Podman 5 pasta helper required for sandbox callbacks; use --vm ubuntu-26-04 --with podman"
 	fi
 	if ! command -v nix >/dev/null 2>&1; then
 		die "Nix is required for VM mode"
@@ -230,49 +272,68 @@ target_dir="$(e2e_cargo_target_dir "${ROOT}" mise x -- cargo)"
 
 ensure_build_nofile_limit
 
-echo "==> Building native host openshell CLI"
-mise x -- cargo build "${cargo_jobs[@]}" -p openshell-cli --bin openshell
-host_cli_bin="${target_dir}/debug/openshell"
-
-echo "==> Preparing ${linux_musl_target} build target"
-mise x -- rustup target add "${linux_musl_target}" >/dev/null
+if [ -n "${host_cli_bin}" ]; then
+	echo "==> Using host openshell CLI: ${host_cli_bin}"
+else
+	echo "==> Building native host openshell CLI"
+	mise x -- cargo build "${cargo_jobs[@]+"${cargo_jobs[@]}"}" -p openshell-cli --bin openshell
+	host_cli_bin="${target_dir}/debug/openshell"
+fi
 
-echo "==> Building Linux openshell-sandbox (${linux_musl_target})"
-mise x -- cargo zigbuild "${cargo_jobs[@]}" \
-	--release \
-	--target "${linux_musl_target}" \
-	-p openshell-sandbox \
-	--bin openshell-sandbox
-linux_sandbox_bin="${target_dir}/${linux_musl_target}/release/openshell-sandbox"
+if [ -n "${sandbox_bin}" ]; then
+	echo "==> Using Linux openshell-sandbox: ${sandbox_bin}"
+	linux_sandbox_bin="${sandbox_bin}"
+else
+	echo "==> Preparing ${linux_musl_target} build target"
+	mise x -- rustup target add "${linux_musl_target}" >/dev/null
+
+	echo "==> Building Linux openshell-sandbox (${linux_musl_target})"
+	mise x -- cargo zigbuild "${cargo_jobs[@]+"${cargo_jobs[@]}"}" \
+		--release \
+		--target "${linux_musl_target}" \
+		-p openshell-sandbox \
+		--bin openshell-sandbox
+	linux_sandbox_bin="${target_dir}/${linux_musl_target}/release/openshell-sandbox"
+fi
 
 host_gateway_bin=
 guest_gateway_bin=
 if [ "${mode}" = host ]; then
-	echo "==> Building native host openshell-gateway"
-	mise x -- cargo build "${cargo_jobs[@]}" \
-		-p openshell-server \
-		--bin openshell-gateway \
-		--features bundled-z3
-	host_gateway_bin="${target_dir}/debug/openshell-gateway"
-else
-	echo "==> Preparing ${linux_gateway_rust_target} build target"
-	mise x -- rustup target add "${linux_gateway_rust_target}" >/dev/null
-	echo "==> Building Linux openshell-gateway (${linux_gateway_zig_target})"
-	(
-		eval "$(
-			"${ROOT}/tasks/scripts/setup-zig-cc-wrapper.sh" \
-				"${linux_gateway_zig_target}" \
-				"${linux_gateway_zig_target}" \
-				"${target_dir}/zig-gnu-wrapper/e2e"
-		)"
-		mise x -- cargo zigbuild "${cargo_jobs[@]}" \
-			--release \
-			--target "${linux_gateway_zig_target}" \
+	if [ -n "${gateway_bin}" ]; then
+		echo "==> Using host openshell-gateway: ${gateway_bin}"
+		host_gateway_bin="${gateway_bin}"
+	else
+		echo "==> Building native host openshell-gateway"
+		mise x -- cargo build "${cargo_jobs[@]+"${cargo_jobs[@]}"}" \
 			-p openshell-server \
 			--bin openshell-gateway \
 			--features bundled-z3
-	)
-	guest_gateway_bin="${target_dir}/${linux_gateway_rust_target}/release/openshell-gateway"
+		host_gateway_bin="${target_dir}/debug/openshell-gateway"
+	fi
+else
+	if [ -n "${gateway_bin}" ]; then
+		echo "==> Using Linux openshell-gateway: ${gateway_bin}"
+		guest_gateway_bin="${gateway_bin}"
+	else
+		echo "==> Preparing ${linux_gateway_rust_target} build target"
+		mise x -- rustup target add "${linux_gateway_rust_target}" >/dev/null
+		echo "==> Building Linux openshell-gateway (${linux_gateway_zig_target})"
+		(
+			eval "$(
+				"${ROOT}/tasks/scripts/setup-zig-cc-wrapper.sh" \
+					"${linux_gateway_zig_target}" \
+					"${linux_gateway_zig_target}" \
+					"${target_dir}/zig-gnu-wrapper/e2e"
+			)"
+			mise x -- cargo zigbuild "${cargo_jobs[@]+"${cargo_jobs[@]}"}" \
+				--release \
+				--target "${linux_gateway_zig_target}" \
+				-p openshell-server \
+				--bin openshell-gateway \
+				--features bundled-z3
+		)
+		guest_gateway_bin="${target_dir}/${linux_gateway_rust_target}/release/openshell-gateway"
+	fi
 fi
 
 expected_binaries=("${host_cli_bin}" "${linux_sandbox_bin}")
@@ -391,6 +452,7 @@ gateway_endpoint="http://127.0.0.1:${host_port}"
 export OPENSHELL_GATEWAY_ENDPOINT="${gateway_endpoint}"
 export OPENSHELL_GATEWAY="${gateway_name}"
 export OPENSHELL_BIN="${host_cli_bin}"
+export OPENSHELL_E2E_DRIVER="${gateway_driver}"
 
 if [ "${mode}" = host ]; then
 	case "${gateway_driver}" in
@@ -467,19 +529,37 @@ docker)
 		"${supervisor_image}" >/dev/null
 	;;
 podman)
-	podman --url "unix:///run/user/\$(id -u)/podman/podman.sock" import \
-		--change 'ENTRYPOINT ["/openshell-sandbox"]' \
-		"${guest_supervisor_archive_path}" \
-		"${supervisor_image}" >/dev/null
+	if [ '${guest_gateway_user}' = root ]; then
+		sudo podman --url "unix:///run/podman/podman.sock" import \
+			--change 'ENTRYPOINT ["/openshell-sandbox"]' \
+			"${guest_supervisor_archive_path}" \
+			"${supervisor_image}" >/dev/null
+	else
+		podman --url "unix:///run/user/\$(id -u)/podman/podman.sock" import \
+			--change 'ENTRYPOINT ["/openshell-sandbox"]' \
+			"${guest_supervisor_archive_path}" \
+			"${supervisor_image}" >/dev/null
+	fi
 	;;
 esac
 report_timing "${gateway_driver} supervisor import" "\${phase_started_at}"
 cd /home/openshell
-exec /usr/local/bin/openshell-gateway \
-	--config "\${config_path}" \
-	--bind-address 127.0.0.1 \
-	--port ${guest_port} \
+gateway_args=(
+	/usr/local/bin/openshell-gateway
+	--config "\${config_path}"
+	--bind-address 127.0.0.1
+	--port ${guest_port}
 	--disable-tls
+)
+if [ '${guest_gateway_user}' = root ]; then
+	exec sudo env \
+		XDG_CONFIG_HOME="\${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}" \
+		XDG_CACHE_HOME="\${XDG_CACHE_HOME}" \
+		XDG_DATA_HOME="\${XDG_DATA_HOME}" \
+		XDG_STATE_HOME="\${XDG_STATE_HOME}" \
+		"\${gateway_args[@]}"
+fi
+exec "\${gateway_args[@]}"
 EOF
 	chmod 0700 "${guest_launcher}"
 
@@ -588,10 +668,17 @@ wait_for_gateway() {
 
 wait_for_gateway
 
-echo "==> Running E2E suite: ${suite_name}"
+test_args=(
+	cargo test
+	--manifest-path e2e/rust/Cargo.toml
+	--features "${e2e_features}"
+)
+echo "==> Running E2E features: ${e2e_features}"
+if [ -n "${suite_name}" ]; then
+	echo "==> Running E2E suite: ${suite_name}"
+	test_args+=(--test "${suite_name}")
+fi
+test_args+=(-- --nocapture)
+
 cd "${ROOT}"
-cargo test \
-	--manifest-path e2e/rust/Cargo.toml \
-	--features e2e \
-	--test "${suite_name}" \
-	-- --nocapture
+"${test_args[@]}"
diff --git a/e2e/support/capbset-probe.c b/e2e/support/capbset-probe.c
deleted file mode 100644
index bc93d766db..0000000000
--- a/e2e/support/capbset-probe.c
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,113 +0,0 @@
-// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2025-2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.
-// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
-
-// Verify the capability-bounding-set condition behind issue #2069 from
-// inside a rootless Podman container.
-
-#include <errno.h>
-#include <linux/capability.h>
-#include <stdio.h>
-#include <stdlib.h>
-#include <string.h>
-#include <sys/prctl.h>
-
-static unsigned long long status_capability(const char *field) {
-    FILE *status = fopen("/proc/self/status", "r");
-    if (status == NULL) {
-        perror("fopen(/proc/self/status)");
-        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
-    }
-
-    char line[256];
-    unsigned long long value = 0;
-    int found = 0;
-    while (fgets(line, sizeof(line), status) != NULL) {
-        char name[32];
-        unsigned long long candidate;
-        if (sscanf(line, "%31[^:]:%llx", name, &candidate) == 2 &&
-            strcmp(name, field) == 0) {
-            value = candidate;
-            found = 1;
-            break;
-        }
-    }
-    fclose(status);
-
-    if (!found) {
-        fprintf(stderr, "missing %s in /proc/self/status\n", field);
-        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
-    }
-    return value;
-}
-
-static void print_apparmor_profile(void) {
-    FILE *profile = fopen("/proc/self/attr/current", "r");
-    if (profile == NULL) {
-        perror("fopen(/proc/self/attr/current)");
-        return;
-    }
-
-    char line[256];
-    if (fgets(line, sizeof(line), profile) != NULL) {
-        printf("apparmor_profile=%s", line);
-        if (strchr(line, '\n') == NULL) {
-            putchar('\n');
-        }
-    }
-    fclose(profile);
-}
-
-int main(int argc, char **argv) {
-    if (argc != 1) {
-        fprintf(stderr, "usage: %s\n", argv[0]);
-        return EXIT_FAILURE;
-    }
-
-    const unsigned long long setpcap_mask = 1ULL << CAP_SETPCAP;
-    const unsigned long long cap_bnd_before = status_capability("CapBnd");
-    const unsigned long long cap_eff_before = status_capability("CapEff");
-    const int setpcap_before = prctl(PR_CAPBSET_READ, CAP_SETPCAP, 0, 0, 0);
-    if (setpcap_before == -1) {
-        perror("prctl(PR_CAPBSET_READ) before drop");
-        return EXIT_FAILURE;
-    }
-
-    print_apparmor_profile();
-    printf("cap_bnd_before=%016llx\n", cap_bnd_before);
-    printf("cap_eff_before=%016llx\n", cap_eff_before);
-    printf("setpcap_bounding_before=%d\n", setpcap_before);
-
-    if (cap_bnd_before == 0 || (cap_bnd_before & setpcap_mask) == 0 ||
-        (cap_eff_before & setpcap_mask) == 0 || setpcap_before != 1) {
-        fprintf(stderr, "CAP_SETPCAP must be effective and present in a non-empty bounding set\n");
-        return EXIT_FAILURE;
-    }
-
-    errno = 0;
-    const int drop_result = prctl(PR_CAPBSET_DROP, CAP_SETPCAP, 0, 0, 0);
-    const int drop_errno = errno;
-    const unsigned long long cap_bnd_after = status_capability("CapBnd");
-    const int setpcap_after = prctl(PR_CAPBSET_READ, CAP_SETPCAP, 0, 0, 0);
-
-    printf("drop_result=%d\n", drop_result);
-    printf("drop_errno=%d (%s)\n", drop_errno, strerror(drop_errno));
-    printf("cap_bnd_after=%016llx\n", cap_bnd_after);
-    printf("setpcap_bounding_after=%d\n", setpcap_after);
-
-    if (drop_result == 0) {
-        if (setpcap_after != 0 || (cap_bnd_after & setpcap_mask) != 0) {
-            fprintf(stderr, "CAP_SETPCAP remained in the bounding set after a successful drop\n");
-            return EXIT_FAILURE;
-        }
-    } else if (drop_errno == EPERM) {
-        if (setpcap_after != 1 || (cap_bnd_after & setpcap_mask) == 0) {
-            fprintf(stderr, "CAP_SETPCAP changed in the bounding set after EPERM\n");
-            return EXIT_FAILURE;
-        }
-    } else {
-        fprintf(stderr, "unexpected PR_CAPBSET_DROP result\n");
-        return EXIT_FAILURE;
-    }
-
-    return EXIT_SUCCESS;
-}
diff --git a/flake.nix b/flake.nix
index 8e9fb728b1..47513fb6c1 100644
--- a/flake.nix
+++ b/flake.nix
@@ -56,6 +56,13 @@
           lcov
           uv
         ];
+        darwinDevShellPackages = pkgs.lib.optionals pkgs.stdenv.hostPlatform.isDarwin (
+          with pkgs;
+          [
+            cargo-zigbuild
+            zig
+          ]
+        );
         treefmtEval = treefmt-nix.lib.evalModule pkgs {
           projectRootFile = "flake.nix";
           programs.nixfmt.enable = true;
@@ -88,7 +95,8 @@
                   z3-static
                   aws-lc-static
                 ]
-                ++ commonDevShellPackages;
+                ++ commonDevShellPackages
+                ++ darwinDevShellPackages;
               };
         }
         // pkgs.lib.optionalAttrs pkgs.stdenv.hostPlatform.isLinux {
diff --git a/nix/test-guest/README.md b/nix/test-guest/README.md
index ca62f893e6..3e55d732c0 100644
--- a/nix/test-guest/README.md
+++ b/nix/test-guest/README.md
@@ -33,12 +33,15 @@ nix/test-guest/
 ├── cache-lib.sh
 ├── cache-seal.sh
 ├── distros/
-│   ├── ubuntu.nix
+│   ├── ubuntu-24-04.nix
+│   ├── ubuntu-26-04.nix
 │   ├── centos.nix
 │   ├── fedora.nix
 │   └── rocky.nix
 └── configuration/
     ├── docker.yml
+    ├── podman-rootful.yml
+    ├── podman-rootless.yml
     ├── podman.yml
     └── selinux.yml
 ```
@@ -56,17 +59,18 @@ The root [`flake.nix`](../../flake.nix) exposes this directory as the `test-gues
 
 ## Supported configurations
 
-| Distro | Docker | Podman | SELinux | Package format |
-| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
-| Ubuntu 24.04 | Yes | Yes | No | `.deb` |
-| CentOS Stream 10 | No | Yes | Yes | `.rpm` |
-| Fedora 44 | No | Yes | Yes | `.rpm` |
-| Rocky Linux 9 | Yes | Yes | Yes | `.rpm` |
+| Distro | Docker | Podman | Rootful Podman | Rootless Podman | SELinux | Package format |
+| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
+| Ubuntu 24.04 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | `.deb` |
+| Ubuntu 26.04 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | `.deb` |
+| CentOS Stream 10 | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | `.rpm` |
+| Fedora 44 | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | `.rpm` |
+| Rocky Linux 9 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | `.rpm` |
 
 The Ubuntu 24.04 Podman configuration is available for runtime and packaging
 checks, but its Podman 4 release does not provide the `pasta` rootless network
-helper required by OpenShell sandbox callbacks. OpenShell Podman E2E runs use
-the Fedora guest, which provides Podman 5 and `pasta`.
+helper required by OpenShell sandbox callbacks. Rootless Podman E2E uses the
+Ubuntu 26.04 guest with `--with podman-rootless`.
 
 List the available distros and configurations:
 
@@ -79,13 +83,13 @@ nix run .#test-guest -- --list
 Boot a base Ubuntu VM:
 
 ```shell
-nix run .#test-guest -- --distro ubuntu
+nix run .#test-guest -- --distro ubuntu-24-04
 ```
 
 Apply the Docker configuration before opening the SSH session:
 
 ```shell
-nix run .#test-guest -- --distro ubuntu --with docker
+nix run .#test-guest -- --distro ubuntu-24-04 --with docker
 ```
 
 Other combinations use the same interface:
@@ -94,13 +98,15 @@ Other combinations use the same interface:
 nix run .#test-guest -- --distro rocky --with docker
 nix run .#test-guest -- --distro centos --with podman
 nix run .#test-guest -- --distro fedora --with podman
+nix run .#test-guest -- --distro fedora --with podman-rootful
+nix run .#test-guest -- --distro ubuntu-26-04 --with podman-rootless
 ```
 
 Configurations are repeatable:
 
 ```shell
 nix run .#test-guest -- \
-  --distro ubuntu \
+  --distro ubuntu-24-04 \
   --with docker \
   --with podman
 ```
@@ -131,7 +137,7 @@ The `test-guest-cache` app ensures a prepared disk exists for one exact distro,
 
 ```shell
 nix run .#test-guest-cache -- \
-  --distro ubuntu \
+  --distro ubuntu-24-04 \
   --with docker
 ```
 
@@ -140,7 +146,7 @@ backing cache:
 
 ```shell
 nix run .#test-guest-cache -- \
-  --distro ubuntu \
+  --distro ubuntu-24-04 \
   --with docker \
   --repository ghcr.io/nvidia/openshell/test-guest-cache \
   --digest sha256:0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef
@@ -150,7 +156,7 @@ The command never publishes implicitly. Add `--push` after authenticating ORAS t
 
 ```shell
 nix run .#test-guest-cache -- \
-  --distro ubuntu \
+  --distro ubuntu-24-04 \
   --with docker \
   --repository ghcr.io/nvidia/openshell/test-guest-cache \
   --push
@@ -177,8 +183,8 @@ The default cache directory is `${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/openshell/test-g
 Cache command options:
 
 ```text
---distro NAME       Base distro: ubuntu, centos, fedora, or rocky
---with NAME         Apply docker, podman, or selinux; repeatable
+--distro NAME       Base distro: ubuntu-24-04, ubuntu-26-04, centos, fedora, or rocky
+--with NAME         Apply docker, podman, podman-rootful, podman-rootless, or selinux; repeatable
 --repository REF    OCI repository without a tag
 --digest DIGEST     Trusted OCI manifest digest required for pulls
 --cache-dir PATH    Override the local prepared-disk cache directory
@@ -202,7 +208,7 @@ Install the package in an Ubuntu VM and run a command:
 
 ```shell
 nix run .#test-guest -- \
-  --distro ubuntu \
+  --distro ubuntu-24-04 \
   --with docker \
   --install artifacts/openshell_0.0.0-local_arm64.deb \
   -- openshell --version
@@ -218,7 +224,7 @@ Use `--copy SOURCE:DEST` to install an executable without creating a package:
 
 ```shell
 nix run .#test-guest -- \
-  --distro ubuntu \
+  --distro ubuntu-24-04 \
   --copy ./openshell:/usr/local/bin/openshell \
   -- openshell --version
 ```
@@ -228,8 +234,8 @@ The destination must be an absolute guest path. Copied files are installed with
 ## Runner options
 
 ```text
---distro NAME       Base distro: ubuntu, centos, fedora, or rocky
---with NAME         Apply docker, podman, or selinux; repeatable
+--distro NAME       Base distro: ubuntu-24-04, ubuntu-26-04, centos, fedora, or rocky
+--with NAME         Apply docker, podman, podman-rootful, podman-rootless, or selinux; repeatable
 --install PATH      Install a .deb or .rpm package; repeatable
 --copy SRC:DEST     Copy an executable into the guest; repeatable
 --ssh-port PORT     Use a specific loopback SSH forwarding port
diff --git a/nix/test-guest/cache.sh b/nix/test-guest/cache.sh
index 1103b3c289..f229143e47 100644
--- a/nix/test-guest/cache.sh
+++ b/nix/test-guest/cache.sh
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ Usage:
   nix run .#test-guest-cache -- --distro DISTRO [OPTIONS]
 
 Options:
-  --distro NAME       Base distro: ubuntu, centos, fedora, or rocky
-  --with NAME         Apply a configuration; repeatable (docker, podman, selinux)
+  --distro NAME       Base distro: ubuntu-24-04, ubuntu-26-04, centos, fedora, or rocky
+  --with NAME         Apply a configuration; repeatable (docker, podman, podman-rootful, podman-rootless, selinux)
   --repository REF    OCI repository without a tag
   --digest DIGEST     Trusted OCI manifest digest required for pulls
   --cache-dir PATH    Override the local prepared-disk cache directory
diff --git a/nix/test-guest/configuration/podman-rootful.yml b/nix/test-guest/configuration/podman-rootful.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9947635f1a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nix/test-guest/configuration/podman-rootful.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+---
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2025-2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+# PROTOTYPE: Configure rootful Podman in a disposable test guest.
+
+- name: Configure rootful Podman
+  hosts: test_vm
+  become: true
+  gather_facts: true
+
+  tasks:
+    - name: Validate rootful Podman support
+      ansible.builtin.assert:
+        that:
+          - ansible_facts.distribution in ["CentOS", "Fedora", "Rocky"]
+        fail_msg: >-
+          Rootful Podman guest coverage is supported on RPM-family guests, not
+          {{ ansible_facts.distribution }}.
+
+    - name: Install rootful Podman
+      ansible.builtin.package:
+        name: podman
+        state: present
+
+    - name: Enable the rootful Podman API socket
+      ansible.builtin.systemd_service:
+        name: podman.socket
+        enabled: true
+        state: started
+
+    - name: Verify rootful Podman
+      ansible.builtin.command:
+        argv:
+          - podman
+          - --url
+          - unix:///run/podman/podman.sock
+          - info
+      changed_when: false
+
+    - name: Verify rootful Podman mode
+      ansible.builtin.command:
+        argv:
+          - podman
+          - --url
+          - unix:///run/podman/podman.sock
+          - info
+          - --format
+          - "{% raw %}{{.Host.Security.Rootless}}{% endraw %}"
+      changed_when: false
+      register: podman_rootless
+      failed_when: podman_rootless.stdout != "false"
diff --git a/nix/test-guest/configuration/podman-rootless.yml b/nix/test-guest/configuration/podman-rootless.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..defff095e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nix/test-guest/configuration/podman-rootless.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+---
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2025-2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+# PROTOTYPE: Configure rootless Podman in a disposable test guest.
+
+- name: Configure rootless Podman
+  hosts: test_vm
+  become: true
+  gather_facts: true
+
+  tasks:
+    - name: Validate rootless Podman support
+      ansible.builtin.assert:
+        that:
+          - ansible_facts.distribution == "Ubuntu"
+          - ansible_facts.distribution_version is version("26.04", ">=")
+        fail_msg: >-
+          Rootless Podman requires Ubuntu 26.04 or newer, not
+          {{ ansible_facts.distribution }} {{ ansible_facts.distribution_version }}.
+
+    - name: Refresh Ubuntu package metadata
+      ansible.builtin.apt:
+        update_cache: true
+
+    - name: Install Ubuntu rootless Podman
+      ansible.builtin.apt:
+        name:
+          - fuse-overlayfs
+          - passt
+          - podman
+          - uidmap
+        state: present
+
+    - name: Enable the rootless Podman API socket
+      ansible.builtin.systemd_service:
+        name: podman.socket
+        scope: user
+        enabled: true
+        state: started
+      become: false
+
+    - name: Verify rootless Podman
+      ansible.builtin.command:
+        cmd: podman info
+      become: false
+      changed_when: false
+
+    - name: Verify rootless Podman mode
+      ansible.builtin.command:
+        argv:
+          - podman
+          - info
+          - --format
+          - "{% raw %}{{.Host.Security.Rootless}}{% endraw %}"
+      become: false
+      changed_when: false
+      register: podman_rootless
+      failed_when: podman_rootless.stdout != "true"
+
+    - name: Verify rootless Podman uses pasta
+      ansible.builtin.command:
+        argv:
+          - podman
+          - info
+          - --format
+          - "{% raw %}{{.Host.RootlessNetworkCmd}}{% endraw %}"
+      become: false
+      changed_when: false
+      register: podman_rootless_network
+      failed_when: podman_rootless_network.stdout != "pasta"
diff --git a/nix/test-guest/default.nix b/nix/test-guest/default.nix
index 72937cfec2..3df811b2a0 100644
--- a/nix/test-guest/default.nix
+++ b/nix/test-guest/default.nix
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ let
     if isAarch64 then "${qemu}/bin/qemu-system-aarch64" else "${qemu}/bin/qemu-system-x86_64";
 
   distros = {
-    ubuntu = import ./distros/ubuntu.nix { inherit pkgs architecture; };
+    ubuntu-24-04 = import ./distros/ubuntu-24-04.nix { inherit pkgs architecture; };
+    ubuntu-26-04 = import ./distros/ubuntu-26-04.nix { inherit pkgs architecture; };
     centos = import ./distros/centos.nix { inherit pkgs architecture; };
     fedora = import ./distros/fedora.nix { inherit pkgs architecture; };
     rocky = import ./distros/rocky.nix { inherit pkgs architecture; };
@@ -27,6 +28,8 @@ let
   configurations = {
     docker = ./configuration/docker.yml;
     podman = ./configuration/podman.yml;
+    podman-rootful = ./configuration/podman-rootful.yml;
+    podman-rootless = ./configuration/podman-rootless.yml;
     selinux = ./configuration/selinux.yml;
   };
 
diff --git a/nix/test-guest/distros/ubuntu.nix b/nix/test-guest/distros/ubuntu-24-04.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from nix/test-guest/distros/ubuntu.nix
rename to nix/test-guest/distros/ubuntu-24-04.nix
diff --git a/nix/test-guest/distros/ubuntu-26-04.nix b/nix/test-guest/distros/ubuntu-26-04.nix
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9a9023ce8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nix/test-guest/distros/ubuntu-26-04.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2025-2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+{ pkgs, architecture }:
+
+let
+  imageArchitecture = if architecture == "aarch64" then "arm64" else "amd64";
+  imageUrl = "https://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/releases/releases/26.04/release/ubuntu-26.04-server-cloudimg-${imageArchitecture}.img";
+  imageHash =
+    if architecture == "aarch64" then
+      "sha256-PhE/3UHznhNyk3UXO7KueT+H3G20KU5SUf8kdpcXiLo="
+    else
+      "sha256-ncfFNjwBRqCLoMmqg02CwsbfuxxHGtmi8KuhGJ4hvgU=";
+in
+{
+  osId = "ubuntu";
+  osVersion = "26.04";
+  packageFamily = "deb";
+  inherit imageUrl imageHash;
+  image = pkgs.fetchurl {
+    name = "ubuntu-26.04-server-cloudimg-${imageArchitecture}.img";
+    url = imageUrl;
+    hash = imageHash;
+  };
+}
diff --git a/nix/test-guest/run.sh b/nix/test-guest/run.sh
index c999679492..65d27c6083 100644
--- a/nix/test-guest/run.sh
+++ b/nix/test-guest/run.sh
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ Usage:
   nix run .#test-guest -- --distro DISTRO [OPTIONS] [-- COMMAND...]
 
 Options:
-  --distro NAME       Base distro: ubuntu, centos, fedora, or rocky
-  --with NAME         Apply a configuration; repeatable (docker, podman, selinux)
+  --distro NAME       Base distro: ubuntu-24-04, ubuntu-26-04, centos, fedora, or rocky
+  --with NAME         Apply a configuration; repeatable (docker, podman, podman-rootful, podman-rootless, selinux)
   --install PATH      Install a .deb or .rpm package; repeatable
   --copy SRC:DEST     Copy an executable to an absolute guest path; repeatable
   --ssh-port PORT     Use a specific loopback SSH forwarding port
diff --git a/tasks/test.toml b/tasks/test.toml
index 29e06b826a..e71615e2bf 100644
--- a/tasks/test.toml
+++ b/tasks/test.toml
@@ -136,6 +136,14 @@ run = [
   "CONTAINER_RUNTIME=docker e2e/with-keycloak.sh env OPENSHELL_E2E_OIDC_GATEWAY=1 e2e/with-docker-gateway.sh uv run pytest -m 'not gpu' e2e/python/oidc",
 ]
 
+["e2e:podman:rootless"]
+description = "Run Podman e2e against a rootless Ubuntu 26.04 Nix test guest"
+run = "e2e/run.sh --vm ubuntu-26-04 --with podman-rootless --gateway-config e2e/configs/gateway/podman.toml --features e2e-podman"
+
+["e2e:podman:fedora-rootful"]
+description = "Run focused Podman e2e against a rootful Fedora Nix test guest"
+run = "e2e/run.sh --vm fedora --with podman-rootful --guest-gateway-user root --gateway-config e2e/configs/gateway/podman-rootful.toml --features e2e-podman --suite sandbox_lifecycle"
+
 ["e2e:podman:gpu"]
 description = "Run GPU e2e against a standalone gateway with the Podman compute driver"
 env = { OPENSHELL_E2E_PODMAN_GPU = "1", OPENSHELL_E2E_PODMAN_TEST = "gpu", OPENSHELL_E2E_PODMAN_FEATURES = "e2e-podman-gpu" }