Node-placed agent terminal: container PTY on the agent's node + WebRTC, shared node-local drives

Completes "agent on a node" (single-node): when an agent's placement points at a
fleet node, its terminal container runs there and the browser reaches it over a
direct WebRTC DataChannel (LAN speed), sharing a node-local volume with the
sandbox. gw-04-local agents are byte-identical to before.

- cm-sandbox/docker.rs: empty drive subpath → mount the whole volume at the target
  (volume_options None), so a per-agent node-local volume auto-creates at ~/drives.
- cm-api/fleet.rs: NodeHub.open_pty/webrtc_offer carry optional container+session
  (injected only when Some); node-terminal caller passes None (host shell unchanged).
- cm-runtime/terminals.rs: TerminalManager gains node_provider + placement
  (mirrors SandboxManager, draining-aware); node_local_drive_mount(agent) =
  clawmates_agent_<id> at ~/drives; placement_for() ensures + locates the container;
  attach uses driver_for(node) (local byte-identical).
- cm-runtime/sandboxes.rs: a node-placed agent sandbox mounts the same per-agent
  volume → shares files with the terminal on that node.
- cm-api/routes/terminal.rs: ticket response gains `node`; ws() bridges node-placed
  agents through the NodeHub relay (WebRTC + fallback) execing into the container;
  local path unchanged. server main wires with_node_provider.
- frontend: agentTerminalConnector mints the ticket then picks WebRTC (node-placed,
  ⚡ direct / relayed badge) vs WS (local); webrtcConnector generalized to be
  endpoint-agnostic (node terminal reuses it).

Known follow-up: terminal (uid 65532) and sandbox (uid 10001) share the volume but
differ in uid — cross-container writes need an aligned uid/gid (group-writable).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <[email protected]>

crates/bins/clawmates-server/src/main.rs

@@ -185,14 +185,21 @@ async fn run() -> Result<(), String> {
                 } else {
                     None
                 };
-                let terminals = std::sync::Arc::new(cm_runtime::TerminalManager::new(
+                let terminals = std::sync::Arc::new(
-                    driver,
+                    cm_runtime::TerminalManager::new(
-                    pool.clone(),
+                        driver,
-                    "local",
+                        pool.clone(),
-                    &config.sandbox.terminal_image,
+                        "local",
-                    config.sandbox.terminal_egress,
+                        &config.sandbox.terminal_image,
-                    drives,
+                        config.sandbox.terminal_egress,
-                ));
+                        drives,
+                    )
+                    // An agent placed on a fleet node runs its terminal there too
+                    // (beside its sandbox), sharing the agent's node-local drives.
+                    .with_node_provider(std::sync::Arc::new(
+                        cm_api::fleet::HubDriverProvider::new(node_hub.clone()),
+                    )),
+                );
                 // Boot reconciliation: any sandbox the engine still holds is an
                 // orphan from a dead process (we track none yet) — remove them
                 // before warming so a crash/redeploy can't leak containers.

crates/cm-api/src/fleet.rs

@@ -168,20 +168,48 @@ impl NodeHub {
     }
 
     /// Open the WS-relay PTY for an allocated session (the fallback path).
-    pub async fn open_pty(&self, id: NodeId, sid: u64, cols: u16, rows: u16) {
+    /// `container` (+ `session`) targets `docker exec` into an agent container on
+    /// the node (the node-placed agent terminal); both `None` ⇒ the host shell.
+    pub async fn open_pty(
+        &self,
+        id: NodeId,
+        sid: u64,
+        cols: u16,
+        rows: u16,
+        container: Option<&str>,
+        session: Option<&str>,
+    ) {
         if let Some(conn) = self.get(id).await {
-            let _ = conn.tx.send(
+            let mut frame = json!({ "t": "pty_open", "sid": sid, "cols": cols, "rows": rows });
-                json!({ "t": "pty_open", "sid": sid, "cols": cols, "rows": rows }).to_string(),
+            if let Some(c) = container {
-            );
+                frame["container"] = json!(c);
+            }
+            if let Some(s) = session {
+                frame["session"] = json!(s);
+            }
+            let _ = conn.tx.send(frame.to_string());
         }
     }
 
     /// Relay a browser SDP offer to the daemon (it answers + trickles ICE back).
-    pub async fn webrtc_offer(&self, id: NodeId, sid: u64, sdp: &str) {
+    /// `container`/`session` target a node-placed agent container as in `open_pty`.
+    pub async fn webrtc_offer(
+        &self,
+        id: NodeId,
+        sid: u64,
+        sdp: &str,
+        container: Option<&str>,
+        session: Option<&str>,
+    ) {
         if let Some(conn) = self.get(id).await {
-            let _ = conn
+            let mut frame = json!({ "t": "webrtc_offer", "sid": sid, "sdp": sdp });
-                .tx
+            if let Some(c) = container {
-                .send(json!({ "t": "webrtc_offer", "sid": sid, "sdp": sdp }).to_string());
+                frame["container"] = json!(c);
+            }
+            if let Some(s) = session {
+                frame["session"] = json!(s);
+            }
+            let _ = conn.tx.send(frame.to_string());
         }
     }
 

crates/cm-api/src/routes/nodes.rs

@@ -258,9 +258,11 @@ async fn bridge_terminal(hub: Arc<NodeHub>, node_id: NodeId, socket: WebSocket)
                     let rows = c.rows.unwrap_or(24);
                     match c.kind.as_str() {
                         "resize" => hub.terminal_resize(node_id, sid, cols, rows).await,
-                        "fallback" => hub.open_pty(node_id, sid, cols, rows).await,
+                        // Host shell (no container) — the Infra node terminal.
+                        "fallback" => hub.open_pty(node_id, sid, cols, rows, None, None).await,
                         "webrtc_offer" => {
-                            hub.webrtc_offer(node_id, sid, c.sdp.as_deref().unwrap_or("")).await
+                            hub.webrtc_offer(node_id, sid, c.sdp.as_deref().unwrap_or(""), None, None)
+                                .await
                         }
                         "webrtc_ice" => {
                             hub.webrtc_ice(

crates/cm-api/src/routes/terminal.rs

@@ -13,13 +13,14 @@ use axum::http::StatusCode;
 use axum::response::{IntoResponse, Response};
 use axum::Json;
 use cm_db::repo::audit::Actor;
-use cm_domain::{AgentId, WorkspaceId};
+use cm_domain::{AgentId, NodeId, WorkspaceId};
 use futures::{SinkExt, StreamExt};
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use serde_json::json;
 use sqlx::{PgPool, Row};
 use tokio::io::AsyncWriteExt;
 
+use crate::fleet::NodeHub;
 use crate::routes::claws::workspace_agent;
 use crate::{ApiError, AppState, Authed};
 
@@ -83,6 +84,9 @@ async fn redeem_ticket(
 #[derive(Serialize)]
 pub struct TicketResponse {
     pub ticket: String,
+    /// The fleet-node UUID this agent's terminal is placed on, or null = gateway-
+    /// local. The browser uses the WebRTC transport for a node, plain WS for local.
+    pub node: Option<String>,
 }
 
 /// `POST /api/terminal/{id}/ticket` — owner-gated; mints a short-lived ticket.
@@ -115,6 +119,14 @@ pub async fn ticket(
         Err(_) => "there".to_string(),
     };
     let ticket = issue_ticket(&state.pool, agent_id, user.workspace_id, &label).await?;
+    // Where the terminal is (or would be) placed — null = gateway-local.
+    let node = match state.runtime.terminals() {
+        Some(tm) => match tm.placement_node_for(agent_id).await {
+            n if n == "local" => None,
+            n => Some(n),
+        },
+        None => None,
+    };
     cm_db::repo::audit::append(
         &state.pool,
         user.workspace_id,
@@ -125,7 +137,7 @@ pub async fn ticket(
         json!({}),
     )
     .await?;
-    Ok(Json(TicketResponse { ticket }))
+    Ok(Json(TicketResponse { ticket, node }))
 }
 
 /// GET /api/terminal/{id}/tabs — the user's saved tab layout (or null).
@@ -233,6 +245,19 @@ pub async fn ws(
     // MOTD greeting injected into the PTY session (read by the container .zshrc).
     let env = vec![format!("CLAWMATES_USER={label}")];
     let session = sanitize_session(q.session.as_deref());
+    // Node-placed agent → bridge to the node's daemon (WebRTC direct + WS relay),
+    // execing into the agent's terminal container there. Local stays unchanged.
+    if tm.placement_node_for(agent_id).await != "local" {
+        if let Ok((node_id, container)) = tm.placement_for(workspace_id, agent_id).await {
+            if let Ok(uuid) = node_id.parse::<uuid::Uuid>() {
+                let hub = state.node_hub.clone();
+                let nid = NodeId::from(uuid);
+                return upgrade
+                    .on_upgrade(move |socket| bridge_node(socket, hub, nid, container, session));
+            }
+        }
+        // Couldn't place remotely (node dropped, etc.) — fall through to local.
+    }
     upgrade.on_upgrade(move |socket| bridge(socket, tm, workspace_id, agent_id, env, session))
 }
 
@@ -316,3 +341,102 @@ async fn bridge(
     }
     tm.detach(agent_id).await;
 }
+
+/// Browser→server control frames on the node-placed terminal WS: resize, the
+/// `fallback` to open the WS-relay PTY, or WebRTC signaling (offer/ICE/close).
+#[derive(Deserialize)]
+struct NodeCtrl {
+    #[serde(rename = "type")]
+    kind: String,
+    cols: Option<u16>,
+    rows: Option<u16>,
+    sdp: Option<String>,
+    candidate: Option<String>,
+    sdp_mid: Option<String>,
+    sdp_mline_index: Option<u16>,
+}
+
+/// Bridge the browser terminal to a NODE-placed agent terminal container: relays
+/// PTY bytes + WebRTC signaling to/from the node's daemon, which `docker exec`s a
+/// tmux into `container`. Mirrors the Infra node terminal bridge, but targets the
+/// agent's container (so the shell shares the agent's node-local ~/drives) and
+/// carries the tmux `session` (one per tab). The same WS is the WebRTC signaling
+/// channel and the WS-relay fallback path.
+async fn bridge_node(
+    socket: WebSocket,
+    hub: Arc<NodeHub>,
+    node_id: NodeId,
+    container: String,
+    session: String,
+) {
+    let Some((sid, mut pty_rx, mut sig_rx)) = hub.open_session(node_id).await else {
+        return;
+    };
+    let (mut ws_tx, mut ws_rx) = socket.split();
+    let to_browser = async {
+        loop {
+            tokio::select! {
+                bytes = pty_rx.recv() => match bytes {
+                    Some(b) => { if ws_tx.send(Message::Binary(b.into())).await.is_err() { break; } }
+                    None => break,
+                },
+                text = sig_rx.recv() => match text {
+                    Some(t) => { if ws_tx.send(Message::Text(t.into())).await.is_err() { break; } }
+                    None => break,
+                },
+            }
+        }
+    };
+    let to_node = async {
+        while let Some(Ok(msg)) = ws_rx.next().await {
+            match msg {
+                // Binary = keystrokes over the WS fallback (the DataChannel carries
+                // its own input when direct).
+                Message::Binary(b) => hub.terminal_input(node_id, sid, b.as_ref()).await,
+                Message::Text(t) => {
+                    let Ok(c) = serde_json::from_str::<NodeCtrl>(t.as_str()) else {
+                        continue;
+                    };
+                    let cols = c.cols.unwrap_or(80);
+                    let rows = c.rows.unwrap_or(24);
+                    match c.kind.as_str() {
+                        "resize" => hub.terminal_resize(node_id, sid, cols, rows).await,
+                        "fallback" => {
+                            hub.open_pty(node_id, sid, cols, rows, Some(&container), Some(&session))
+                                .await
+                        }
+                        "webrtc_offer" => {
+                            hub.webrtc_offer(
+                                node_id,
+                                sid,
+                                c.sdp.as_deref().unwrap_or(""),
+                                Some(&container),
+                                Some(&session),
+                            )
+                            .await
+                        }
+                        "webrtc_ice" => {
+                            hub.webrtc_ice(
+                                node_id,
+                                sid,
+                                c.candidate.as_deref().unwrap_or(""),
+                                c.sdp_mid.as_deref(),
+                                c.sdp_mline_index,
+                            )
+                            .await
+                        }
+                        "webrtc_close" => hub.webrtc_close(node_id, sid).await,
+                        _ => {}
+                    }
+                }
+                Message::Close(_) => break,
+                _ => {}
+            }
+        }
+    };
+    tokio::select! {
+        _ = to_browser => {},
+        _ = to_node => {},
+    }
+    hub.terminal_close(node_id, sid).await;
+}

crates/cm-runtime/src/sandboxes.rs

@@ -217,9 +217,16 @@ impl SandboxManager {
             (handle, self.node_id.clone())
         } else {
             // Remote fleet node: provision directly via its driver (no warm pool).
+            // Mount the agent's per-agent node-local drive volume so the sandbox
+            // shares files with the agent's terminal (+ other containers) on that
+            // node. The egress browser sandbox stays driveless.
+            let mut spec = self.spec();
+            if !self.egress {
+                spec.mounts = vec![crate::terminals::node_local_drive_mount(agent_id)];
+            }
             let handle = self
                 .driver_for(&node)
-                .provision(&self.spec())
+                .provision(&spec)
                 .await
                 .map_err(|e| format!("remote sandbox provision failed: {e}"))?;
             (handle, node)

crates/cm-runtime/src/terminals.rs

@@ -18,9 +18,24 @@ use cm_domain::{AgentId, WorkspaceId};
 use cm_sandbox::{DriveMount, PtySession, SandboxDriver, SandboxHandle, SandboxKind, SandboxSpec};
 use sqlx::PgPool;
 
+use crate::NodeDriverProvider;
+
 /// The `agent_containers.kind` discriminator for terminal containers.
 const KIND: &str = "terminal";
 
+/// The per-agent node-local drive volume mounted at `~/drives` for a node-placed
+/// agent — auto-created by Docker on first mount (no subpath). All of the agent's
+/// containers on that node mount the SAME volume, so they share files. Both the
+/// terminal and the sandbox use this exact mount (see `SandboxManager`).
+pub(crate) fn node_local_drive_mount(agent_id: AgentId) -> DriveMount {
+    DriveMount {
+        volume: format!("clawmates_agent_{}", agent_id.as_uuid().simple()),
+        subpath: String::new(),
+        target: "/home/agent/drives".to_string(),
+        read_only: false,
+    }
+}
+
 /// Where the agent's Files drives live, so the Terminal can mount them.
 #[derive(Clone)]
 pub struct DriveConfig {
@@ -34,12 +49,16 @@ pub struct DriveConfig {
 pub struct TerminalManager {
     driver: Arc<dyn SandboxDriver>,
     pool: PgPool,
-    /// Placement node this manager's driver provisions onto ("local" today).
+    /// This manager's LOCAL placement id ("local"); remote placements come from
+    /// `node_provider` keyed by a fleet node's id.
     node_id: String,
     image: String,
     egress: bool,
     /// Drive mounts; None disables the ~/drives mapping.
     drives: Option<DriveConfig>,
+    /// Resolves drivers for remote fleet nodes (None ⇒ local-only deployment), so
+    /// an agent placed on a node runs its terminal there too.
+    node_provider: Option<Arc<dyn NodeDriverProvider>>,
 }
 
 impl std::fmt::Debug for TerminalManager {
@@ -67,9 +86,74 @@ impl TerminalManager {
             image: image.to_owned(),
             egress,
             drives,
+            node_provider: None,
         }
     }
 
+    /// Wire a fleet-node driver provider so an agent placed on a connected node
+    /// runs its terminal container there (sharing the agent's node-local drives).
+    /// Default (unset) = local-only, unchanged.
+    pub fn with_node_provider(mut self, provider: Arc<dyn NodeDriverProvider>) -> TerminalManager {
+        self.node_provider = Some(provider);
+        self
+    }
+
+    /// The driver that owns containers on `node_id`: the local driver for "local"
+    /// (or when the node isn't connected), else the node's remote driver.
+    fn driver_for(&self, node_id: &str) -> Arc<dyn SandboxDriver> {
+        if node_id != self.node_id {
+            if let Some(d) = self.node_provider.as_ref().and_then(|p| p.driver(node_id)) {
+                return d;
+            }
+        }
+        self.driver.clone()
+    }
+
+    /// Where a NEW terminal container for this agent should run: the agent's
+    /// workspace placement node if it's connected (and not draining), else "local"
+    /// — mirroring `SandboxManager` so the terminal lands beside the sandbox.
+    async fn placement_node(&self, agent_id: AgentId) -> String {
+        match cm_db::repo::workspace_placement::for_agent(&self.pool, agent_id).await {
+            Ok(Some(node)) if node != self.node_id => {
+                if let Ok(nid) = node.parse::<uuid::Uuid>() {
+                    if matches!(
+                        cm_db::repo::nodes::status_of(&self.pool, cm_domain::NodeId::from(nid)).await,
+                        Ok(Some(ref s)) if s == "draining"
+                    ) {
+                        return self.node_id.clone();
+                    }
+                }
+                if self.node_provider.as_ref().and_then(|p| p.driver(&node)).is_some() {
+                    return node;
+                }
+                self.node_id.clone()
+            }
+            _ => self.node_id.clone(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Where the agent's terminal is / would run, WITHOUT provisioning: the node
+    /// of an existing container, else the computed placement. For the ticket's
+    /// `node` hint (the browser uses the WebRTC-vs-WS transport accordingly).
+    pub async fn placement_node_for(&self, agent_id: AgentId) -> String {
+        if let Ok(Some(row)) = cm_db::repo::agent_containers::get(&self.pool, agent_id, KIND).await {
+            return row.node_id;
+        }
+        self.placement_node(agent_id).await
+    }
+
+    /// Ensure the agent's terminal container exists (on its placement node) and
+    /// return `(node_id, container_name)` — what the node-bridge route needs to
+    /// `docker exec` into it. `node_id` is "local" or a fleet-node UUID.
+    pub async fn placement_for(
+        &self,
+        workspace_id: WorkspaceId,
+        agent_id: AgentId,
+    ) -> Result<(String, String), String> {
+        let (handle, node_id) = self.ensure(workspace_id, agent_id).await?;
+        Ok((node_id, handle.name))
+    }
+
     /// The three Files drives mounted read-write at `~/drives/*`, each a per-agent
     /// subpath of the shared volume (subpath = isolation). Creates the subdirs
     /// first so the mount doesn't fail on an empty drive.
@@ -106,8 +190,17 @@ impl TerminalManager {
         &self,
         workspace_id: WorkspaceId,
         agent_id: AgentId,
+        node: &str,
     ) -> Result<SandboxHandle, String> {
         let short = uuid::Uuid::now_v7().simple().to_string();
+        // Local: per-agent subpaths of the shared gateway volume (today's path).
+        // Remote: a single per-agent node-local volume at ~/drives, shared with
+        // the agent's sandbox on that node.
+        let mounts = if node == self.node_id {
+            self.drive_mounts(workspace_id, agent_id).await
+        } else {
+            vec![node_local_drive_mount(agent_id)]
+        };
         let spec = SandboxSpec {
             name: format!("tc-term-{}", &short[short.len() - 12..]),
             image: self.image.clone(),
@@ -117,9 +210,9 @@ impl TerminalManager {
             pids_limit: 512,
             egress: self.egress,
             kind: SandboxKind::Terminal,
-            mounts: self.drive_mounts(workspace_id, agent_id).await,
+            mounts,
         };
-        self.driver
+        self.driver_for(node)
             .provision(&spec)
             .await
             .map_err(|e| format!("terminal provision failed: {e}"))
@@ -132,33 +225,35 @@ impl TerminalManager {
         &self,
         workspace_id: WorkspaceId,
         agent_id: AgentId,
-    ) -> Result<SandboxHandle, String> {
+    ) -> Result<(SandboxHandle, String), String> {
         if let Ok(Some(row)) =
             cm_db::repo::agent_containers::get(&self.pool, agent_id, KIND).await
         {
+            let driver = self.driver_for(&row.node_id);
             let handle = SandboxHandle {
                 id: row.container_id.clone(),
                 name: row.name.clone(),
             };
-            if self.driver.health(&handle).await.unwrap_or(false) {
+            if driver.health(&handle).await.unwrap_or(false) {
-                return Ok(handle);
+                return Ok((handle, row.node_id));
             }
             // Recorded but dead: clean both the container and the stale row.
-            let _ = self.driver.destroy(&handle).await;
+            let _ = driver.destroy(&handle).await;
             let _ = cm_db::repo::agent_containers::delete(&self.pool, agent_id, KIND).await;
         }
-        let handle = self.provision_one(workspace_id, agent_id).await?;
+        let node = self.placement_node(agent_id).await;
+        let handle = self.provision_one(workspace_id, agent_id, &node).await?;
         cm_db::repo::agent_containers::upsert(
             &self.pool,
             agent_id,
             KIND,
-            &self.node_id,
+            &node,
             &handle.id,
             &handle.name,
         )
         .await
         .map_err(|e| format!("registry upsert failed: {e}"))?;
-        Ok(handle)
+        Ok((handle, node))
     }
 
     /// Open an interactive login zsh in the agent's terminal container. `env`
@@ -173,12 +268,14 @@ impl TerminalManager {
         env: &[String],
         tmux_session: &str,
     ) -> Result<PtySession, String> {
-        let handle = self.ensure(workspace_id, agent_id).await?;
+        let (handle, node_id) = self.ensure(workspace_id, agent_id).await?;
         // tmux attach-or-create: the named session + its processes survive a WS
         // disconnect and resume on reconnect. Different session names are
         // independent tabs sharing the agent's one container (+ its ~/drives).
+        // Local attach uses the local driver (unchanged); a remote terminal is
+        // served via the node WebRTC/WS bridge, not here.
         let session = self
-            .driver
+            .driver_for(&node_id)
             .attach_pty(
                 &handle,
                 // -A attach-or-create; -D detaches any stale client on reattach so

crates/cm-sandbox/src/docker.rs

@@ -97,10 +97,18 @@ impl SandboxDriver for DockerDriver {
                         source: Some(m.volume.clone()),
                         typ: Some(MountTypeEnum::VOLUME),
                         read_only: Some(m.read_only),
-                        volume_options: Some(MountVolumeOptions {
+                        // An empty subpath ⇒ mount the whole volume at the target
-                            subpath: Some(m.subpath.clone()),
+                        // (the per-agent node-local drive volume, auto-created by
-                            ..Default::default()
+                        // Docker). A non-empty subpath is per-agent isolation within
-                        }),
+                        // the shared gateway volume.
+                        volume_options: if m.subpath.is_empty() {
+                            None
+                        } else {
+                            Some(MountVolumeOptions {
+                                subpath: Some(m.subpath.clone()),
+                                ..Default::default()
+                            })
+                        },
                         ..Default::default()
                     })
                     .collect(),

frontend/src/components/computer/apps/TerminalApp.tsx

@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import type { Agent } from "@/lib/api/schemas";
 import { panelParsers } from "@/lib/url/panel-params";
 
 import { useSubHeader } from "./AppShell";
-import { useResilientTerminal, wsConnector } from "./terminal/core";
+import { agentTerminalConnector, useResilientTerminal, type TermMode } from "./terminal/core";
 
 import "@xterm/xterm/css/xterm.css";
 
@@ -279,15 +279,10 @@ function TerminalTab({
   useEffect(() => {
     activeRef.current = active;
   });
+  const [mode, setMode] = useState<TermMode>("connecting");
   const { hostRef, refit } = useResilientTerminal(
     {
-      connect: wsConnector(async () => {
+      connect: agentTerminalConnector(agent.id, session, setMode),
-        const res = await fetch(`/api/terminal/${agent.id}/ticket`, { method: "POST" });
-        if (!res.ok) return null;
-        const { ticket } = (await res.json()) as { ticket: string };
-        const proto = location.protocol === "https:" ? "wss:" : "ws:";
-        return `${proto}//${location.host}/api/terminal/${agent.id}/ws?ticket=${encodeURIComponent(ticket)}&session=${encodeURIComponent(session)}`;
-      }),
       visible: () => activeRef.current,
       autoFocus: true,
     },
@@ -302,10 +297,21 @@ function TerminalTab({
   }, [active, refit]);
 
   return (
-    <div
+    <div className="absolute inset-0" style={{ display: active ? "block" : "none" }}>
-      ref={hostRef}
+      {/* Transport badge — shown only when the container is node-placed. */}
-      className="absolute inset-0 px-3 py-2"
+      {mode === "direct" || mode === "relayed" ? (
-      style={{ display: active ? "block" : "none" }}
+        <div
-    />
+          className="pointer-events-none absolute right-2 top-1.5 z-10 flex items-center gap-1 rounded px-1.5 py-0.5 font-mono text-[9px]"
+          style={{
+            background: mode === "direct" ? "rgba(95,208,138,.12)" : "rgba(255,255,255,.05)",
+            border: `1px solid ${mode === "direct" ? "rgba(95,208,138,.3)" : "rgba(255,255,255,.1)"}`,
+            color: mode === "direct" ? "#5fd08a" : "#8a8a92",
+          }}
+        >
+          {mode === "direct" ? "⚡ direct" : "relayed"}
+        </div>
+      ) : null}
+      <div ref={hostRef} className="absolute inset-0 px-3 py-2" />
+    </div>
   );
 }

frontend/src/components/computer/apps/infra/NodeTerminalApp.tsx

@@ -13,11 +13,11 @@ import { useFetchJson } from "@/lib/api/use-fetch";
 import { panelParsers } from "@/lib/url/panel-params";
 import type { FleetNode } from "@/components/dashboard/fleet/FleetPanels";
 
-import { nodeWebrtcConnector, useResilientTerminal } from "../terminal/core";
+import { nodeWebrtcConnector, useResilientTerminal, type TermMode } from "../terminal/core";
 
 import "@xterm/xterm/css/xterm.css";
 
-type Transport = "connecting" | "direct" | "relayed";
+type Transport = TermMode;
 
 /** xterm bridged to a node's host shell, preferring a direct WebRTC DataChannel.
  *  Transport + xterm lifecycle live in the shared resilient-terminal core. */

frontend/src/components/computer/apps/terminal/core.ts

@@ -213,7 +213,13 @@ const ICE_SERVERS: RTCIceServer[] = [{ urls: ["stun:stun.l.google.com:19302"] }]
  *  (browser↔node, LAN speed) and falls back to the gateway WS relay if no direct
  *  path forms within ~2.5s. The same WS carries the WebRTC signaling. `onMode`
  *  reports the live transport so callers can show a direct/relayed indicator. */
-export function nodeWebrtcConnector(nodeId: string, onMode?: (m: "connecting" | "direct" | "relayed") => void): TermConnector {
+export type TermMode = "connecting" | "direct" | "relayed" | "local";
+
+/** WebRTC transport over a signaling WebSocket at `getUrl()` (which mints the
+ *  ticket + builds the wss URL): direct DataChannel browser↔node, with the
+ *  gateway WS relay as automatic fallback. Endpoint-agnostic — works for the node
+ *  host shell and the node-placed agent container alike. */
+export function webrtcConnector(getUrl: () => Promise<string | null>, onMode?: (m: TermMode) => void): TermConnector {
   return ({ term, onClosed }) =>
     new Promise<TermTransport | null>((resolve) => {
       let settled = false;
@@ -337,15 +343,13 @@ export function nodeWebrtcConnector(nodeId: string, onMode?: (m: "connecting" |
           goRelayed();
         }
       };
-      void fetch(`/api/nodes/${nodeId}/terminal/ticket`, { method: "POST" })
+      void getUrl()
-        .then((r) => (r.ok ? r.json() : {}))
+        .then((url) => {
-        .then((body: { ticket?: string }) => {
+          if (!url) {
-          if (!body.ticket) {
             resolve(null);
             return;
           }
-          const proto = location.protocol === "https:" ? "wss:" : "ws:";
+          ws = new WebSocket(url);
-          ws = new WebSocket(`${proto}//${location.host}/api/nodes/${nodeId}/terminal/ws?token=${encodeURIComponent(body.ticket)}`);
           ws.binaryType = "arraybuffer";
           ws.onopen = () => {
             ready();
@@ -371,3 +375,33 @@ export function nodeWebrtcConnector(nodeId: string, onMode?: (m: "connecting" |
         .catch(() => resolve(null));
     });
 }
+
+/** WebRTC shell on a fleet node's HOST (the Infra node terminal). */
+export function nodeWebrtcConnector(nodeId: string, onMode?: (m: TermMode) => void): TermConnector {
+  return webrtcConnector(async () => {
+    const res = await fetch(`/api/nodes/${nodeId}/terminal/ticket`, { method: "POST" });
+    if (!res.ok) return null;
+    const { ticket } = (await res.json()) as { ticket?: string };
+    if (!ticket) return null;
+    const proto = location.protocol === "https:" ? "wss:" : "ws:";
+    return `${proto}//${location.host}/api/nodes/${nodeId}/terminal/ws?token=${encodeURIComponent(ticket)}`;
+  }, onMode);
+}
+
+/** The agent terminal: mint the ticket, then pick the transport from the
+ *  response — a node-placed container → WebRTC (LAN speed, signaling over the
+ *  agent WS); a gateway-local container → plain WS (today's path). */
+export function agentTerminalConnector(agentId: string, session: string, onMode?: (m: TermMode) => void): TermConnector {
+  return (ctx) =>
+    fetch(`/api/terminal/${agentId}/ticket`, { method: "POST" })
+      .then((r) => (r.ok ? r.json() : null))
+      .then((body: { ticket?: string; node?: string | null } | null) => {
+        if (!body?.ticket) return null;
+        const proto = location.protocol === "https:" ? "wss:" : "ws:";
+        const url = `${proto}//${location.host}/api/terminal/${agentId}/ws?ticket=${encodeURIComponent(body.ticket)}&session=${encodeURIComponent(session)}`;
+        if (body.node) return webrtcConnector(async () => url, onMode)(ctx);
+        onMode?.("local");
+        return wsConnector(async () => url)(ctx);
+      })
+      .catch(() => null);
+}