diff --git a/docker-compose.registry.yml b/docker-compose.registry.yml
index bd32275ad..7875c9e42 100644
--- a/docker-compose.registry.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.registry.yml
@@ -775,6 +775,16 @@ services:
       NGINX_ENVSUBST_FILTER: "^ROBOCO_"
     volumes:
       - ./deploy/nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/templates/default.conf.template:ro
+      # The active-color include is mounted via its DIRECTORY, not as a file
+      # bind: a file bind pins the inode, so a host-side rewrite (or the
+      # deploy script's atomic tmp+mv swap) never reaches the running
+      # container and nginx keeps testing/serving the PREVIOUS color
+      # (2026-09-17 green flip: "host not found in upstream
+      # roboco-panel-blue" after the include already said green).
+      # Registry installs clone the repo, so ./front ships with it; missing
+      # this mount made fresh `make quickstart` crash-loop nginx on the
+      # include (#1111).
+      - ./front:/etc/nginx/front:ro
     depends_on:
       - panel
       - orchestrator
diff --git a/roboco/llm/providers/openrouter_cli_config.py b/roboco/llm/providers/openrouter_cli_config.py
index 51647440e..7f1bad6c0 100644
--- a/roboco/llm/providers/openrouter_cli_config.py
+++ b/roboco/llm/providers/openrouter_cli_config.py
@@ -468,6 +468,10 @@ def main(argv: list[str] | None = None) -> int:
     base_url = os.environ.get("OPENROUTER_BASE_URL", settings.openrouter_base_url)
 
     config = render_config(role, model, base_url, mcp_path)
+    # The image does not pre-create opencode's global config home (#1110):
+    # without this, every OpenRouter-routed spawn died on FileNotFoundError
+    # before the CLI ever started.
+    OPENCODE_CONFIG_PATH.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
     OPENCODE_CONFIG_PATH.write_text(json.dumps(config, indent=2), encoding="utf-8")
     write_bash_guard_plugin()
     return 0
diff --git a/tests/unit/llm/providers/test_openrouter_cli_config.py b/tests/unit/llm/providers/test_openrouter_cli_config.py
index 030f176e1..67d07e596 100644
--- a/tests/unit/llm/providers/test_openrouter_cli_config.py
+++ b/tests/unit/llm/providers/test_openrouter_cli_config.py
@@ -347,6 +347,33 @@ def test_main_writes_opencode_json(
     assert "tool.execute.before" in plugin_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
 
 
+def test_main_creates_missing_config_dir(
+    tmp_path: Path, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+) -> None:
+    """#1110: the agent image does not pre-create opencode's global config
+    home, so the render step must mkdir the parent itself. Regression: every
+    OpenRouter-routed spawn exited 1 on FileNotFoundError before the CLI
+    started. The plugin write already mkdir'd its parents; the config write
+    did not."""
+    mcp_path = tmp_path / "mcp-config.json"
+    mcp_path.write_text(json.dumps(_SAMPLE_MCP), encoding="utf-8")
+    config_path = tmp_path / ".config" / "opencode" / "opencode.json"
+    plugin_path = tmp_path / ".config" / "opencode" / "plugins" / "guard.js"
+    system_prompt = tmp_path / "system-prompt.md"
+    system_prompt.write_text("blueprint", encoding="utf-8")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(oc, "OPENCODE_CONFIG_PATH", config_path)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(oc, "OPENCODE_PLUGIN_PATH", plugin_path)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(oc, "SYSTEM_PROMPT_PATH", system_prompt)
+    monkeypatch.setenv("ROBOCO_AGENT_ID", "be-dev-1")
+    monkeypatch.setenv("ROBOCO_MCP_CONFIG", str(mcp_path))
+    monkeypatch.setenv("ROBOCO_AGENT_MODEL", "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4")
+
+    assert oc.main([]) == 0
+    assert config_path.exists()
+    json.loads(config_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+
+
 def test_main_check_flag_passes_when_key_set(
     tmp_path: Path, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
 ) -> None:
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_compose_roles.py b/tests/unit/test_compose_roles.py
index cd6dc2532..2b6905c0d 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_compose_roles.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_compose_roles.py
@@ -98,3 +98,33 @@ def test_indexer_services_have_no_http_healthcheck() -> None:
                 f"{name}: an indexer service serves no HTTP, a healthcheck "
                 "can never pass"
             )
+
+
+def test_nginx_mounts_front_include_dir_in_every_compose() -> None:
+    """#1111: deploy/nginx.conf includes /etc/nginx/front/active-upstreams.conf
+    (the blue-green color switch), so EVERY compose file must mount the repo's
+    ./front directory at /etc/nginx/front. 2026-09-21 the registry compose
+    shipped without it and fresh `make quickstart` crash-looped nginx on the
+    missing include. The mount must be the DIRECTORY, not a file bind: a file
+    bind pins the inode and the deploy script's atomic tmp+mv swap would never
+    reach the running container."""
+    for name in _COMPOSE_FILES:
+        compose = yaml.safe_load((_REPO_ROOT / name).read_text())
+        nginx = compose["services"].get("nginx")
+        assert nginx is not None, f"{name}: no nginx service found"
+        volumes = [str(v) for v in (nginx.get("volumes") or [])]
+        dir_mount = any(
+            v.startswith("./front:") and v.endswith(":/etc/nginx/front:ro")
+            for v in volumes
+        )
+        assert dir_mount, (
+            f"{name}: nginx must mount ./front:/etc/nginx/front:ro (directory "
+            "bind, not a file bind) or the active-upstreams include in "
+            "deploy/nginx.conf crash-loops the container on a fresh install"
+        )
+        # And the included file must actually exist in the repo, so the mount
+        # is never empty on a clean clone.
+        assert (_REPO_ROOT / "front" / "active-upstreams.conf").is_file(), (
+            "front/active-upstreams.conf is missing from the repo; the nginx "
+            "include would 404 it and crash-loop roboco-nginx"
+        )