diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 4027d21..2e69a31 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -27,3 +27,6 @@ docker-compose.override.yml
 
 # SDD scratch
 .superpowers/
+
+# Worktrees
+.worktrees/
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index cd0696b..dfa0e12 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ The `gh` CLI is authenticated as the configured bot GitHub account and git is co
 # Source repository
 pyproject.toml          # hatchling build; console scripts: clayde, clayde-once
 CLAUDE.md               # this file — identity + project context
-Dockerfile              # Python 3.13-slim image with git, gh, uv
+Dockerfile              # Python 3.13-slim image with git, gh, uv, docker CLI
 docker-compose.yml      # container deployment config
 uv.lock
 src/clayde/
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 8d303a2..5671ed6 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -11,6 +11,16 @@ RUN curl -fsSL https://cli.github.com/packages/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg \
     | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/github-cli.list > /dev/null && \
     apt-get update && apt-get install -y gh && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
+# Install Docker CLI + Compose plugin (no daemon in the image — the host's
+# socket is mounted in, see docker-compose.yml)
+RUN install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings && \
+    curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc && \
+    chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc && \
+    echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/debian $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") stable" \
+    > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list && \
+    apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+    docker-ce-cli docker-compose-plugin && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
 # Install Node.js (required for Claude Code CLI)
 RUN curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | bash - && \
     apt-get install -y nodejs && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 1ac054e..cd572b0 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@ services:
     image: ghcr.io/claydecode/me:main
     restart: unless-stopped
     user: "1000:1000"
+    # The host's docker group, so the mounted socket below is usable as uid
+    # 1000. Must match `getent group docker` on the host.
+    group_add:
+      - "${DOCKER_GID:-111}"
     networks: [internal]
     expose:
       - "8080"
@@ -57,6 +61,11 @@ services:
       # Scheduled-task markdown files (cron/at frontmatter). Read-write: the
       # scheduler moves fired one-off files into a done/ subdirectory.
       - ~/clayde-tasks:/tasks
+      # Docker CLI access for agent runs that need to resolve images, e.g. the
+      # app-repository update pass and its `docker compose pull --dry-run`.
+      # Full socket: an agent in this container can control every container on
+      # the host. Deliberate, and the reason the whitelist above matters.
+      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
     labels:
       - "traefik.enable=true"
       - "traefik.http.routers.clayde.rule=Host(`${CLAYDE_PEBBLE_HOST}`) && PathPrefix(`/webhook`)"
diff --git a/src/clayde/config.py b/src/clayde/config.py
index 4f4e308..36e970d 100644
--- a/src/clayde/config.py
+++ b/src/clayde/config.py
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 """Configuration via pydantic-settings."""
 
 import logging
+import os
+import subprocess
 from pathlib import Path
 
 from github import Auth, Github
@@ -121,3 +123,32 @@ def setup_logging() -> None:
     root = logging.getLogger("clayde")
     root.setLevel(logging.INFO)
     root.addHandler(handler)
+
+
+log = logging.getLogger("clayde.config")
+
+
+def bootstrap_process_env() -> None:
+    """Give subprocesses of this process a usable git and `gh`.
+
+    `gh` reads GH_TOKEN from the environment and the container's git credential
+    helper is `!gh auth git-credential`, so without the token every push fails;
+    without an identity every commit fails. Both apply to the headless Claude
+    runs the scheduler and the Pebble worker start, not just to Freeshard work.
+    """
+    settings = get_settings()
+    if settings.github_token:
+        os.environ["GH_TOKEN"] = settings.github_token
+    if settings.effective_git_name:
+        _git_config("user.name", settings.effective_git_name)
+    if settings.git_email:
+        _git_config("user.email", settings.git_email)
+
+
+def _git_config(key: str, value: str) -> None:
+    r = subprocess.run(
+        ["git", "config", "--global", key, value],
+        capture_output=True, text=True,
+    )
+    if r.returncode != 0:
+        log.warning("git config --global %s failed: %s", key, r.stderr.strip())
diff --git a/src/clayde/freeshard/entry.py b/src/clayde/freeshard/entry.py
index b450e79..71dcb2b 100644
--- a/src/clayde/freeshard/entry.py
+++ b/src/clayde/freeshard/entry.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 import signal
 import time
 
-from clayde.config import get_settings, setup_logging
+from clayde.config import bootstrap_process_env, get_settings, setup_logging
 from clayde.freeshard.loop import run_cycle
 
 log = logging.getLogger("clayde.freeshard.entry")
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ def run_loop() -> None:
     signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, _handle_signal)
 
     setup_logging()
+    bootstrap_process_env()
     settings = get_settings()
 
     log.info("Starting Freeshard loop (interval=%ds)", settings.fs_loop_interval_s)
diff --git a/src/clayde/freeshard/loop.py b/src/clayde/freeshard/loop.py
index e662453..13d52f4 100644
--- a/src/clayde/freeshard/loop.py
+++ b/src/clayde/freeshard/loop.py
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
 """
 import concurrent.futures
 import logging
-import os
 
 from clayde.claude import is_claude_available
 from clayde.config import get_github_client
@@ -176,11 +175,6 @@ def run_cycle(settings) -> int:
         check_disk_and_alert(settings)
     except Exception:
         log.warning("Disk guard check failed — continuing")
-    if settings.github_token:
-        # The container's git credential helper is `!gh auth git-credential`,
-        # which reads GH_TOKEN from the environment; without it, branch pushes
-        # in steps._push_branch fail with exit 128.
-        os.environ["GH_TOKEN"] = settings.github_token
     if is_claude_available():
         g = get_github_client()
         return tick(g, settings)
diff --git a/src/clayde/orchestrator.py b/src/clayde/orchestrator.py
index c26f09e..d01e6bb 100644
--- a/src/clayde/orchestrator.py
+++ b/src/clayde/orchestrator.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 import uvicorn
 
-from clayde.config import DATA_DIR, get_settings, setup_logging
+from clayde.config import DATA_DIR, bootstrap_process_env, get_settings, setup_logging
 from clayde.freeshard.loop import run_cycle
 from clayde.scheduler.loop import scheduler_loop
 from clayde.webhook import JobQueue, create_app, worker_loop
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ async def _freeshard_loop(settings) -> None:
 async def _run_with_pebble() -> None:
     """Async entry point that runs the Pebble webhook and worker."""
     setup_logging()
+    bootstrap_process_env()
     settings = get_settings()
     log.info(
         "Starting Clayde with Pebble webhook (port=%d, queue_max=%d)",
diff --git a/tests/freeshard/test_loop.py b/tests/freeshard/test_loop.py
index 45127e1..84db43d 100644
--- a/tests/freeshard/test_loop.py
+++ b/tests/freeshard/test_loop.py
@@ -308,21 +308,3 @@ def test_malformed_issue_url_does_not_abort_tick(
     n = loop.tick(MagicMock(), _settings())
     assert n == 1
     mock_impl.assert_called_once()
-
-
-def test_run_cycle_sets_gh_token_for_git_credential_helper():
-    """run_cycle must export GH_TOKEN so the container's `!gh auth git-credential`
-    helper can authenticate branch pushes (else push fails with exit 128)."""
-    import os
-    from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch
-    from clayde.freeshard import loop
-
-    settings = MagicMock(github_token="ghp_testtoken123")
-    os.environ.pop("GH_TOKEN", None)
-    with patch("clayde.freeshard.loop.check_disk_and_alert"), \
-         patch("clayde.freeshard.loop.is_claude_available", return_value=True), \
-         patch("clayde.freeshard.loop.get_github_client", return_value=MagicMock()), \
-         patch("clayde.freeshard.loop.tick", return_value=0):
-        loop.run_cycle(settings)
-    assert os.environ.get("GH_TOKEN") == "ghp_testtoken123"
-    os.environ.pop("GH_TOKEN", None)
diff --git a/tests/test_config.py b/tests/test_config.py
index 35d1d4e..3af1468 100644
--- a/tests/test_config.py
+++ b/tests/test_config.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 """Tests for clayde.config."""
 
 import logging
+import os
 from pathlib import Path
 from unittest.mock import patch
 
@@ -175,3 +176,36 @@ def test_scheduler_settings_defaults(monkeypatch):
     assert s.scheduler_interval_s == 30
     assert s.scheduler_tz == "Europe/Berlin"
     assert s.scheduler_timeout == 300
+
+
+class TestBootstrapProcessEnv:
+    def _settings(self, **kw):
+        base = dict(github_token="ghp_tok", git_name="ClaydeCode",
+                    git_email="clayde@example.net", github_username="ClaydeCode")
+        base.update(kw)
+        return Settings(_env_file=None, **base)
+
+    def test_exports_gh_token(self, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.delenv("GH_TOKEN", raising=False)
+        with patch("clayde.config.get_settings", return_value=self._settings()), \
+             patch("clayde.config.subprocess.run") as run:
+            clayde.config.bootstrap_process_env()
+        assert os.environ["GH_TOKEN"] == "ghp_tok"
+        assert run.called
+
+    def test_configures_git_identity(self, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.delenv("GH_TOKEN", raising=False)
+        with patch("clayde.config.get_settings", return_value=self._settings()), \
+             patch("clayde.config.subprocess.run") as run:
+            clayde.config.bootstrap_process_env()
+        configured = {c.args[0][3]: c.args[0][4] for c in run.call_args_list}
+        assert configured == {"user.name": "ClaydeCode", "user.email": "clayde@example.net"}
+
+    def test_skips_what_is_not_configured(self, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.delenv("GH_TOKEN", raising=False)
+        empty = self._settings(github_token="", git_name="", git_email="", github_username="")
+        with patch("clayde.config.get_settings", return_value=empty), \
+             patch("clayde.config.subprocess.run") as run:
+            clayde.config.bootstrap_process_env()
+        assert "GH_TOKEN" not in os.environ
+        assert not run.called