diff --git a/.github/actions/setup/action.yml b/.github/actions/setup/action.yml
index 3dcf1303..7bb58e92 100644
--- a/.github/actions/setup/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/setup/action.yml
@@ -24,8 +24,19 @@ runs:
     - name: Install OpenSSH client
       shell: bash
       run: |
-        sudo apt-get update
-        sudo apt-get install -y openssh-client
+        for attempt in 1 2 3; do
+          sudo rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+          if sudo apt-get -o Acquire::Retries=3 -o Acquire::By-Hash=force update; then
+            break
+          fi
+          if [[ "$attempt" == "3" ]]; then
+            echo "apt-get update failed after retries" >&2
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "apt-get update attempt ${attempt} failed; retrying..." >&2
+          sleep $((attempt * 2))
+        done
+        sudo apt-get -o Acquire::Retries=3 install -y openssh-client
     - name: Install node-gyp
       shell: bash
       run: npm install -g node-gyp
diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yml b/.github/workflows/check.yml
index 7652cec5..5937e33b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yml
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ jobs:
   e2e-opencode:
     name: E2E (OpenCode)
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    timeout-minutes: 25
+    timeout-minutes: 40
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v6
       - name: Install dependencies
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ jobs:
   e2e-clone-cache:
     name: E2E (Clone cache)
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    timeout-minutes: 25
+    timeout-minutes: 40
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v6
       - name: Install dependencies
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ jobs:
   e2e-login-context:
     name: E2E (Login context)
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    timeout-minutes: 20
+    timeout-minutes: 40
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v6
       - name: Install dependencies
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ jobs:
   e2e-runtime-volumes-ssh:
     name: E2E (Runtime volumes + SSH)
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    timeout-minutes: 25
+    timeout-minutes: 40
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v6
       - name: Install dependencies
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ jobs:
   e2e-clone-auto-open-ssh:
     name: E2E (Clone auto-open SSH)
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    timeout-minutes: 25
+    timeout-minutes: 40
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v6
       - name: Install dependencies
diff --git a/packages/api/Dockerfile b/packages/api/Dockerfile
index a12abbe0..ebf5ec50 100644
--- a/packages/api/Dockerfile
+++ b/packages/api/Dockerfile
@@ -9,7 +9,24 @@ ENV BUN_INSTALL=/opt/bun
 ENV PATH=/opt/bun/bin:$PATH
 WORKDIR /workspace
 
-RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+RUN set -eu; \
+  sed -i \
+    -e 's|http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu|http://azure.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu|g' \
+    -e 's|http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu|http://azure.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu|g' \
+    /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ubuntu.sources 2>/dev/null || true; \
+  for attempt in 1 2 3; do \
+    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*; \
+    if apt-get -o Acquire::Retries=3 -o Acquire::By-Hash=force update; then \
+      break; \
+    fi; \
+    if [ "$attempt" = "3" ]; then \
+      echo "apt-get update failed after retries" >&2; \
+      exit 1; \
+    fi; \
+    echo "apt-get update attempt ${attempt} failed; retrying..." >&2; \
+    sleep $((attempt * 2)); \
+  done; \
+  apt-get -o Acquire::Retries=3 install -y --no-install-recommends \
     ca-certificates curl git docker.io docker-compose-v2 openssh-client sshpass python3 make g++ unzip \
  && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
diff --git a/packages/api/src/program.ts b/packages/api/src/program.ts
index 839f9c5f..6104e990 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/program.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/program.ts
@@ -11,12 +11,20 @@ import { attachProjectBrowserWebSocketServer } from "./services/project-browser.
 import { attachProjectDatabaseWebSocketServer } from "./services/project-databases.js"
 import { attachTerminalWebSocketServer } from "./services/terminal-sessions.js"
 
+type ApiHttpServer = ReturnType<typeof createServer>
+
 const resolvePort = (env: Record<string, string | undefined>): number => {
   const raw = env["DOCKER_GIT_API_PORT"] ?? env["PORT"]
   const parsed = raw === undefined ? Number.NaN : Number(raw)
   return Number.isFinite(parsed) && parsed > 0 ? parsed : 3334
 }
 
+export const configureLongRunningRequestTimeouts = (server: ApiHttpServer): ApiHttpServer => {
+  server.requestTimeout = 0
+  server.setTimeout(0)
+  return server
+}
+
 const requestLogger = HttpMiddleware.make((httpApp) =>
   Effect.gen(function*(_) {
     const request = yield* _(HttpServerRequest.HttpServerRequest)
@@ -45,7 +53,7 @@ export const program = (() => {
   const port = resolvePort(process.env)
   const router = makeRouter()
   const app = router.pipe(HttpServer.serve(requestLogger), HttpServer.withLogAddress)
-  const server = createServer()
+  const server = configureLongRunningRequestTimeouts(createServer())
   attachAuthTerminalWebSocketServer(server)
   attachTerminalWebSocketServer(server)
   attachProjectBrowserWebSocketServer(server)
diff --git a/packages/api/src/services/agents.ts b/packages/api/src/services/agents.ts
index f1b8f0c5..bc0f4a5f 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/services/agents.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/services/agents.ts
@@ -55,18 +55,18 @@ const sourceLabel = (request: CreateAgentRequest): string =>
 
 const pickDefaultCommand = (provider: CreateAgentRequest["provider"]): string => {
   if (provider === "codex") {
-    return "codex"
+    return "MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1 codex"
   }
   if (provider === "opencode") {
     return "opencode"
   }
   if (provider === "claude") {
-    return "claude"
+    return "MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1 claude"
   }
   return ""
 }
 
-const buildCommand = (request: CreateAgentRequest): string => {
+export const buildCommand = (request: CreateAgentRequest): string => {
   const direct = request.command?.trim() ?? ""
   if (direct.length > 0) {
     return direct
diff --git a/packages/api/tests/agents.test.ts b/packages/api/tests/agents.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..176d00c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/api/tests/agents.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest"
+
+import { buildCommand } from "../src/services/agents.js"
+
+describe("agent service", () => {
+  it("starts default Codex agents with isolated Playwright MCP", () => {
+    expect(buildCommand({ provider: "codex" })).toBe("MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1 codex")
+    expect(buildCommand({ provider: "codex", args: ["exec", "hello world"] })).toBe(
+      "MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1 codex 'exec' 'hello world'"
+    )
+  })
+
+  it("starts default Claude agents with isolated Playwright MCP", () => {
+    expect(buildCommand({ provider: "claude" })).toBe("MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1 claude")
+    expect(buildCommand({ provider: "claude", args: ["-p", "hello world"] })).toBe(
+      "MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1 claude '-p' 'hello world'"
+    )
+  })
+
+  it("does not rewrite custom agent commands", () => {
+    expect(buildCommand({ provider: "codex", command: "codex --help" })).toBe("codex --help")
+  })
+})
diff --git a/packages/api/tests/program.test.ts b/packages/api/tests/program.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5c12935d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/api/tests/program.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+import { createServer } from "node:http"
+
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest"
+
+import { configureLongRunningRequestTimeouts } from "../src/program.js"
+
+describe("api program", () => {
+  it("does not abort long-running project creation requests", () => {
+    const server = configureLongRunningRequestTimeouts(createServer())
+
+    expect(server.requestTimeout).toBe(0)
+    expect(server.timeout).toBe(0)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/packages/app/src/docker-git/api-http.ts b/packages/app/src/docker-git/api-http.ts
index deafd9cc..2946a239 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/docker-git/api-http.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/docker-git/api-http.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import type { HttpClientResponse } from "@effect/platform"
-import { FetchHttpClient, HttpBody, HttpClient } from "@effect/platform"
+import { HttpBody, HttpClient } from "@effect/platform"
 import type * as HttpClientError from "@effect/platform/HttpClientError"
+import { NodeHttpClient } from "@effect/platform-node"
 import { Effect } from "effect"
 
 import { readHttpResponseTextStream } from "../shared/http-response-stream.js"
@@ -140,16 +141,19 @@ const executeRequestWithControllerRetry = (
   body: JsonRequest | undefined
 ) => {
   const execute = () => executeRequest(client, resolveApiBaseUrl(), method, path, body)
+  const shouldRetry = method === "GET"
 
   return execute().pipe(
     Effect.matchEffect({
       onFailure: (error) =>
-        ensureControllerReady().pipe(
-          Effect.matchEffect({
-            onFailure: () => Effect.fail(error),
-            onSuccess: () => execute()
-          })
-        ),
+        !shouldRetry
+          ? Effect.fail(error)
+          : ensureControllerReady().pipe(
+            Effect.matchEffect({
+              onFailure: () => Effect.fail(error),
+              onSuccess: () => execute()
+            })
+          ),
       onSuccess: (value) => Effect.succeed(value)
     })
   )
@@ -198,7 +202,7 @@ export const request = (
     }
 
     return parsed
-  }).pipe(Effect.provide(FetchHttpClient.layer), mapTransportError(method, path))
+  }).pipe(Effect.provide(NodeHttpClient.layer), mapTransportError(method, path))
 
 export const requestVoid = (method: ApiHttpMethod, path: string, body?: JsonRequest) =>
   request(method, path, body).pipe(Effect.asVoid)
@@ -219,4 +223,4 @@ export const requestTextStream = (
     }
 
     return yield* _(readHttpResponseTextStream(response, onChunk))
-  }).pipe(Effect.provide(FetchHttpClient.layer), mapTransportError(method, path))
+  }).pipe(Effect.provide(NodeHttpClient.layer), mapTransportError(method, path))
diff --git a/packages/app/src/docker-git/cli/usage.ts b/packages/app/src/docker-git/cli/usage.ts
index ca20745f..e57e232e 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/docker-git/cli/usage.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/docker-git/cli/usage.ts
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ Container runtime env (set via .orch/env/project.env):
   DOCKER_GIT_ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST=1|0        Enable zsh-autosuggestions (default: 1)
   DOCKER_GIT_ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST_STYLE=...  zsh-autosuggestions highlight style (default: fg=8,italic)
   DOCKER_GIT_ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST_STRATEGY=...  Suggestion sources (default: history completion)
-  MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1|0           Isolated browser contexts (recommended for many Codex; default: 1)
+  MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1|0           Isolated browser contexts; default 0 shares the VNC session
   MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_CDP_GUARD=1|0          Guard CDP so MCP cannot close/crash shared Chromium (default: 1)
   MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_BLOCK_BROWSER_CLOSE=1|0  Block destructive Browser.close/crash CDP methods (default: 1)
   MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_CDP_ENDPOINT=http://...  Override CDP endpoint (default: http://dg-<repo>-browser:9223)
diff --git a/packages/app/src/lib/core/templates-entrypoint/agent.ts b/packages/app/src/lib/core/templates-entrypoint/agent.ts
index 8e7c69b9..6a35f4ca 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/lib/core/templates-entrypoint/agent.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/lib/core/templates-entrypoint/agent.ts
@@ -52,8 +52,13 @@ fi`
 
 const renderAgentPromptCommand = (mode: AgentMode): string =>
   Match.value(mode).pipe(
-    Match.when("claude", () => String.raw`claude --dangerously-skip-permissions -p \"\$(cat \"$AGENT_PROMPT_FILE\")\"`),
-    Match.when("codex", () => String.raw`codex exec \"\$(cat \"$AGENT_PROMPT_FILE\")\"`),
+    Match.when(
+      "claude",
+      () =>
+        String
+          .raw`MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1 claude --dangerously-skip-permissions -p \"\$(cat \"$AGENT_PROMPT_FILE\")\"`
+    ),
+    Match.when("codex", () => String.raw`MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1 codex exec \"\$(cat \"$AGENT_PROMPT_FILE\")\"`),
     Match.when("gemini", () => String.raw`gemini --approval-mode=yolo \"\$(cat \"$AGENT_PROMPT_FILE\")\"`),
     Match.exhaustive
   )
diff --git a/packages/app/src/lib/core/templates-entrypoint/base.ts b/packages/app/src/lib/core/templates-entrypoint/base.ts
index 9a40abce..9709a551 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/lib/core/templates-entrypoint/base.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/lib/core/templates-entrypoint/base.ts
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ AGENT_MODE="\${AGENT_MODE:-}"
 AGENT_AUTO="\${AGENT_AUTO:-}"
 MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ENABLE="\${MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ENABLE:-${config.enableMcpPlaywright ? "1" : "0"}}"
 MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_CDP_ENDPOINT="\${MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_CDP_ENDPOINT:-}"
-MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED="\${MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED:-1}"
+MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED="\${MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED:-0}"
 MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_CDP_GUARD="\${MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_CDP_GUARD:-1}"
 MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_BLOCK_BROWSER_CLOSE="\${MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_BLOCK_BROWSER_CLOSE:-1}"
 
diff --git a/packages/app/src/lib/core/templates-entrypoint/nested-docker-git.ts b/packages/app/src/lib/core/templates-entrypoint/nested-docker-git.ts
index c46b142a..30e2a960 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/lib/core/templates-entrypoint/nested-docker-git.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/lib/core/templates-entrypoint/nested-docker-git.ts
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ CODEX_AUTO_UPDATE=1
 DOCKER_GIT_ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST=1
 DOCKER_GIT_ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST_STYLE=fg=8,italic
 DOCKER_GIT_ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST_STRATEGY=history completion
-MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1
+MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=0
 EOF
 fi
 
diff --git a/packages/app/src/lib/core/templates/dockerfile.ts b/packages/app/src/lib/core/templates/dockerfile.ts
index 7edba351..78f3a795 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/lib/core/templates/dockerfile.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/lib/core/templates/dockerfile.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,24 @@ const renderDockerfilePrelude = (): string =>
 ENV DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
 ENV NVM_DIR=/usr/local/nvm
 
-RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+RUN set -eu; \
+  sed -i \
+    -e 's|http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu|http://azure.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu|g' \
+    -e 's|http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu|http://azure.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu|g' \
+    /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ubuntu.sources 2>/dev/null || true; \
+  for attempt in 1 2 3 4 5; do \
+    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*; \
+    if apt-get -o Acquire::Retries=3 -o Acquire::By-Hash=force update; then \
+      break; \
+    fi; \
+    if [ "$attempt" = "5" ]; then \
+      echo "apt-get update failed after retries" >&2; \
+      exit 1; \
+    fi; \
+    echo "apt-get update attempt \${attempt} failed; retrying..." >&2; \
+    sleep $((attempt * 2)); \
+  done; \
+  apt-get -o Acquire::Retries=3 install -y --no-install-recommends \
     openssh-server git gh ca-certificates curl unzip bsdutils sudo \
     make docker.io docker-compose-v2 bash-completion zsh zsh-autosuggestions xauth \
     ncurses-term \
@@ -172,7 +189,7 @@ if [[ -z "$JSON" ]]; then
 fi
 
 EXTRA_ARGS=()
-if [[ "\${MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED:-1}" == "1" ]]; then
+if [[ "\${MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED:-0}" == "1" ]]; then
   EXTRA_ARGS+=(--isolated)
 fi
 
diff --git a/packages/app/src/lib/usecases/actions/prepare-files.ts b/packages/app/src/lib/usecases/actions/prepare-files.ts
index 7eaac6c9..3566f522 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/lib/usecases/actions/prepare-files.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/lib/usecases/actions/prepare-files.ts
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ const defaultProjectEnvContents = [
   "DOCKER_GIT_ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST=1",
   "DOCKER_GIT_ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST_STYLE=fg=8,italic",
   "DOCKER_GIT_ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST_STRATEGY=history completion",
-  "MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1",
+  "MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=0",
   "MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_CDP_GUARD=1",
   "MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_BLOCK_BROWSER_CLOSE=1",
   ""
diff --git a/packages/app/tests/docker-git/api-http.test.ts b/packages/app/tests/docker-git/api-http.test.ts
index 75fd0a81..7201e7db 100644
--- a/packages/app/tests/docker-git/api-http.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/tests/docker-git/api-http.test.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
+/* jscpd:ignore-start */
 import { NodeContext } from "@effect/platform-node"
 import { describe, expect, it } from "@effect/vitest"
 import { Effect } from "effect"
-import { afterEach, beforeEach, vi } from "vitest"
+import { beforeEach, vi } from "vitest"
 
 import { request } from "../../src/docker-git/api-http.js"
+/* jscpd:ignore-end */
 
 const resolveApiBaseUrlMock = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn<() => string>())
 const ensureControllerReadyMock = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn<() => Effect.Effect<void>>())
@@ -15,22 +17,6 @@ vi.mock("../../src/docker-git/controller.js", () => ({
 
 const joinIp = (...octets: ReadonlyArray<string>): string => octets.join(".")
 const makeHttpUrl = (host: string, port: string): string => ["ht", "tp://", host, ":", port].join("")
-const toFetchUrl = (value: Parameters<typeof globalThis.fetch>[0] | undefined): string => {
-  if (value === undefined) {
-    throw new TypeError("unexpected undefined fetch request value")
-  }
-  if (typeof value === "string") {
-    return value
-  }
-  if (value instanceof URL) {
-    return value.toString()
-  }
-  if (value instanceof Request) {
-    return value.url
-  }
-
-  throw new TypeError("unexpected fetch request value")
-}
 
 describe("api-http request retry", () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
@@ -39,38 +25,32 @@ describe("api-http request retry", () => {
     ensureControllerReadyMock.mockImplementation(() => Effect.void)
   })
 
-  afterEach(() => {
-    vi.unstubAllGlobals()
-  })
-
   it.effect("refreshes controller readiness once after a transport failure", () =>
     Effect.gen(function*(_) {
-      const fetchMock = vi.fn<typeof globalThis.fetch>()
-      fetchMock.mockRejectedValueOnce(new TypeError("fetch failed"))
-      fetchMock.mockResolvedValueOnce(
-        Response.json({ ok: true }, {
-          status: 200,
-          headers: { "content-type": "application/json" }
-        })
-      )
-      vi.stubGlobal("fetch", fetchMock)
-
       resolveApiBaseUrlMock.mockReturnValueOnce(
-        makeHttpUrl(joinIp("127", "0", "0", "1"), "3334")
+        makeHttpUrl(joinIp("127", "0", "0", "1"), "1")
       )
       resolveApiBaseUrlMock.mockReturnValueOnce(
-        makeHttpUrl(joinIp("172", "17", "0", "20"), "3334")
+        makeHttpUrl(joinIp("127", "0", "0", "1"), "2")
       )
 
-      const payload = yield* _(request("GET", "/health"))
+      const result = yield* _(Effect.either(request("GET", "/health")))
 
-      expect(payload).toEqual({ ok: true })
+      expect(result._tag).toBe("Left")
       expect(ensureControllerReadyMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
-      expect(fetchMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
+      expect(resolveApiBaseUrlMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
+    }).pipe(Effect.provide(NodeContext.layer)))
+
+  it.effect("does not replay mutating requests after a transport failure", () =>
+    Effect.gen(function*(_) {
+      resolveApiBaseUrlMock.mockReturnValue(
+        makeHttpUrl(joinIp("127", "0", "0", "1"), "1")
+      )
+
+      const result = yield* _(Effect.either(request("POST", "/projects", { outDir: "project-1" })))
 
-      const firstCall = fetchMock.mock.calls[0]?.[0]
-      const secondCall = fetchMock.mock.calls[1]?.[0]
-      expect(toFetchUrl(firstCall)).toContain(`${joinIp("127", "0", "0", "1")}:3334/health`)
-      expect(toFetchUrl(secondCall)).toContain(`${joinIp("172", "17", "0", "20")}:3334/health`)
+      expect(result._tag).toBe("Left")
+      expect(ensureControllerReadyMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+      expect(resolveApiBaseUrlMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
     }).pipe(Effect.provide(NodeContext.layer)))
 })
diff --git a/packages/lib/src/core/templates-entrypoint/agent.ts b/packages/lib/src/core/templates-entrypoint/agent.ts
index aa748ce8..5529dd24 100644
--- a/packages/lib/src/core/templates-entrypoint/agent.ts
+++ b/packages/lib/src/core/templates-entrypoint/agent.ts
@@ -51,8 +51,13 @@ fi`
 
 const renderAgentPromptCommand = (mode: AgentMode): string =>
   Match.value(mode).pipe(
-    Match.when("claude", () => String.raw`claude --dangerously-skip-permissions -p \"\$(cat \"$AGENT_PROMPT_FILE\")\"`),
-    Match.when("codex", () => String.raw`codex exec \"\$(cat \"$AGENT_PROMPT_FILE\")\"`),
+    Match.when(
+      "claude",
+      () =>
+        String
+          .raw`MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1 claude --dangerously-skip-permissions -p \"\$(cat \"$AGENT_PROMPT_FILE\")\"`
+    ),
+    Match.when("codex", () => String.raw`MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1 codex exec \"\$(cat \"$AGENT_PROMPT_FILE\")\"`),
     Match.when("gemini", () => String.raw`gemini --approval-mode=yolo \"\$(cat \"$AGENT_PROMPT_FILE\")\"`),
     Match.exhaustive
   )
diff --git a/packages/lib/src/core/templates-entrypoint/base.ts b/packages/lib/src/core/templates-entrypoint/base.ts
index dd1324b1..2590c194 100644
--- a/packages/lib/src/core/templates-entrypoint/base.ts
+++ b/packages/lib/src/core/templates-entrypoint/base.ts
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ AGENT_MODE="\${AGENT_MODE:-}"
 AGENT_AUTO="\${AGENT_AUTO:-}"
 MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ENABLE="\${MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ENABLE:-${config.enableMcpPlaywright ? "1" : "0"}}"
 MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_CDP_ENDPOINT="\${MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_CDP_ENDPOINT:-}"
-MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED="\${MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED:-1}"
+MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED="\${MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED:-0}"
 MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_CDP_GUARD="\${MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_CDP_GUARD:-1}"
 MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_BLOCK_BROWSER_CLOSE="\${MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_BLOCK_BROWSER_CLOSE:-1}"
 
diff --git a/packages/lib/src/core/templates-entrypoint/nested-docker-git.ts b/packages/lib/src/core/templates-entrypoint/nested-docker-git.ts
index 19aea594..23b26a41 100644
--- a/packages/lib/src/core/templates-entrypoint/nested-docker-git.ts
+++ b/packages/lib/src/core/templates-entrypoint/nested-docker-git.ts
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ CODEX_AUTO_UPDATE=1
 DOCKER_GIT_ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST=1
 DOCKER_GIT_ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST_STYLE=fg=8,italic
 DOCKER_GIT_ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST_STRATEGY=history completion
-MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1
+MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=0
 EOF
 fi
 
diff --git a/packages/lib/src/core/templates/dockerfile.ts b/packages/lib/src/core/templates/dockerfile.ts
index 66229dbf..88a4c2bc 100644
--- a/packages/lib/src/core/templates/dockerfile.ts
+++ b/packages/lib/src/core/templates/dockerfile.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,24 @@ const renderDockerfilePrelude = (): string =>
 ENV DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
 ENV NVM_DIR=/usr/local/nvm
 
-RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+RUN set -eu; \
+  sed -i \
+    -e 's|http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu|http://azure.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu|g' \
+    -e 's|http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu|http://azure.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu|g' \
+    /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ubuntu.sources 2>/dev/null || true; \
+  for attempt in 1 2 3 4 5; do \
+    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*; \
+    if apt-get -o Acquire::Retries=3 -o Acquire::By-Hash=force update; then \
+      break; \
+    fi; \
+    if [ "$attempt" = "5" ]; then \
+      echo "apt-get update failed after retries" >&2; \
+      exit 1; \
+    fi; \
+    echo "apt-get update attempt \${attempt} failed; retrying..." >&2; \
+    sleep $((attempt * 2)); \
+  done; \
+  apt-get -o Acquire::Retries=3 install -y --no-install-recommends \
     openssh-server git gh ca-certificates curl unzip bsdutils sudo \
     make docker.io docker-compose-v2 bash-completion zsh zsh-autosuggestions xauth \
     ncurses-term \
@@ -171,7 +188,7 @@ if [[ -z "$JSON" ]]; then
 fi
 
 EXTRA_ARGS=()
-if [[ "\${MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED:-1}" == "1" ]]; then
+if [[ "\${MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED:-0}" == "1" ]]; then
   EXTRA_ARGS+=(--isolated)
 fi
 
diff --git a/packages/lib/src/usecases/actions/prepare-files.ts b/packages/lib/src/usecases/actions/prepare-files.ts
index 5972dc3c..16d64a3b 100644
--- a/packages/lib/src/usecases/actions/prepare-files.ts
+++ b/packages/lib/src/usecases/actions/prepare-files.ts
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ const defaultProjectEnvContents = [
   "DOCKER_GIT_ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST=1",
   "DOCKER_GIT_ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST_STYLE=fg=8,italic",
   "DOCKER_GIT_ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST_STRATEGY=history completion",
-  "MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1",
+  "MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=0",
   "MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_CDP_GUARD=1",
   "MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_BLOCK_BROWSER_CLOSE=1",
   ""
diff --git a/packages/lib/tests/core/templates.test.ts b/packages/lib/tests/core/templates.test.ts
index 2243e6a7..1f697316 100644
--- a/packages/lib/tests/core/templates.test.ts
+++ b/packages/lib/tests/core/templates.test.ts
@@ -167,6 +167,7 @@ describe("renderEntrypoint auth bridge", () => {
       "\"codex\")",
       "\"claude\")",
       "\"gemini\")",
+      'MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED="${MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED:-0}"',
       "\"20-agents-skills::.agents/skills\"",
       "\"30-agents-dot-skills::.agents/.skills\"",
       "\"80-codex-skills::.codex/skills\"",
@@ -176,7 +177,8 @@ describe("renderEntrypoint auth bridge", () => {
       "$project_dir/.gemini/settings.json",
       "$project_dir/.gemini/commands",
       "$project_dir/.gemini/skills",
-      "codex exec"
+      "MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1 codex exec",
+      "MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1 claude --dangerously-skip-permissions -p"
     ])
     expect(entrypoint).not.toContain("codex --approval-mode full-auto")
     expect(entrypoint).not.toContain("\"40-claude-skills::.claude/skills\"")
@@ -190,7 +192,7 @@ describe("renderEntrypoint auth bridge", () => {
       ". /etc/profile 2>/dev/null || true;",
       String.raw`. \"$AGENT_ENV_FILE\" 2>/dev/null || true;`,
       "AGENT_PROMPT_FILE=\"/run/docker-git/agent-prompt.txt\"",
-      "claude --dangerously-skip-permissions -p",
+      "MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1 claude --dangerously-skip-permissions -p",
       "CLAUDE_GLOBAL_PROMPT_FILE=\"/home/dev/.claude/CLAUDE.md\"",
       "CLAUDE_AUTO_SYSTEM_PROMPT=\"${CLAUDE_AUTO_SYSTEM_PROMPT:-1}\"",
       "docker-git-managed:claude-md",
diff --git a/packages/lib/tests/usecases/mcp-playwright.test.ts b/packages/lib/tests/usecases/mcp-playwright.test.ts
index 246d5968..45ba7b7a 100644
--- a/packages/lib/tests/usecases/mcp-playwright.test.ts
+++ b/packages/lib/tests/usecases/mcp-playwright.test.ts
@@ -129,6 +129,7 @@ describe("enableMcpPlaywrightProjectFiles", () => {
         expect(dockerfileAfter).toContain("MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_RETRY_ATTEMPTS")
         expect(dockerfileAfter).toContain("MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_RETRY_DELAY")
         expect(dockerfileAfter).toContain("MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_CDP_GUARD")
+        expect(dockerfileAfter).toContain('if [[ "${MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED:-0}" == "1" ]]; then')
         expect(dockerfileAfter).toContain("fetch_cdp_version()")
         expect(dockerfileAfter).toContain("waiting for browser sidecar")
         expect(dockerfileAfter).toContain('exec playwright-mcp --cdp-endpoint "$CDP_ENDPOINT"')
diff --git a/packages/lib/tests/usecases/prepare-files.test.ts b/packages/lib/tests/usecases/prepare-files.test.ts
index 2e3a7bec..bd4fc225 100644
--- a/packages/lib/tests/usecases/prepare-files.test.ts
+++ b/packages/lib/tests/usecases/prepare-files.test.ts
@@ -210,7 +210,8 @@ describe("prepareProjectFiles", () => {
         expect(entrypoint).toContain('OPENCODE_CONFIG_DIR="/home/dev/.config/opencode"')
         expect(entrypoint).toContain('su - dev -s /bin/bash -c "bash -lc')
         expect(entrypoint).toContain('. /etc/profile 2>/dev/null || true;')
-        expect(entrypoint).toContain("codex exec")
+        expect(entrypoint).toContain("MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1 codex exec")
+        expect(entrypoint).toContain("MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=1 claude --dangerously-skip-permissions -p")
         expect(entrypoint).not.toContain("codex --approval-mode full-auto")
         expect(entrypoint).toContain("docker_git_sync_project_codex_skills()")
         expect(entrypoint).toContain('project_skills_root="$codex_home/skills/.docker-git-project"')
@@ -285,6 +286,7 @@ describe("prepareProjectFiles", () => {
         expect(composeAfter).toContain("container_name: dg-test-browser\n    restart: unless-stopped")
         expect(composeAfter).toContain(`      - ${path.join(outDir, ".orch/env/global.env")}`)
         expect(composeAfter).toContain(`      - ${path.join(outDir, ".orch/env/project.env")}`)
+        expect(envProjectAfter).toContain("MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_ISOLATED=0")
         expect(envProjectAfter).toContain("MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_CDP_GUARD=1")
         expect(envProjectAfter).toContain("MCP_PLAYWRIGHT_BLOCK_BROWSER_CLOSE=1")
         expect(composeAfter).toContain("docker-git-shared")
diff --git a/scripts/e2e/clone-auto-open-ssh.sh b/scripts/e2e/clone-auto-open-ssh.sh
index 8b044566..d62dd00e 100755
--- a/scripts/e2e/clone-auto-open-ssh.sh
+++ b/scripts/e2e/clone-auto-open-ssh.sh
@@ -35,7 +35,9 @@ CLONE_LOG="$ROOT/clone-auto-open-ssh.log"
 SSH_INVOCATION_LOG="$ROOT/ssh-invocation.log"
 SSH_SESSION_LOG="$ROOT/ssh-session.log"
 RUN_SCRIPT="$ROOT/run-clone-auto-open-ssh.sh"
-CLONE_AUTO_OPEN_TIMEOUT="${DOCKER_GIT_E2E_CLONE_AUTO_OPEN_TIMEOUT:-300s}"
+# Cold controller and project image builds can be slow on GitHub-hosted runners,
+# especially when Ubuntu/NodeSource package mirrors are cold.
+CLONE_AUTO_OPEN_TIMEOUT="${DOCKER_GIT_E2E_CLONE_AUTO_OPEN_TIMEOUT:-1800s}"
 FAILURE_DUMPED=0
 
 fail() {
@@ -230,8 +232,16 @@ export DOCKER_GIT_E2E_CONTAINER_NAME="$CONTAINER_NAME"
 export DOCKER_GIT_SSH_KEY="$SSH_KEY"
 export REPO_ROOT REPO_URL ROOT SSH_PORT OUT_DIR_REL CONTAINER_NAME SERVICE_NAME VOLUME_NAME
 
-timeout "$CLONE_AUTO_OPEN_TIMEOUT" script -q -e -c "$RUN_SCRIPT" /dev/null >"$CLONE_LOG" 2>&1 \
-  || fail "clone auto-open command failed"
+set +e
+timeout "$CLONE_AUTO_OPEN_TIMEOUT" script -q -e -c "$RUN_SCRIPT" /dev/null >"$CLONE_LOG" 2>&1
+clone_exit=$?
+set -e
+if [[ "$clone_exit" -eq 124 ]]; then
+  fail "clone auto-open command timed out after $CLONE_AUTO_OPEN_TIMEOUT"
+fi
+if [[ "$clone_exit" -ne 0 ]]; then
+  fail "clone auto-open command failed with exit code $clone_exit"
+fi
 
 grep -Fq -- "Project created: octocat/hello-world" "$CLONE_LOG" \
   || fail "expected clone log to confirm project creation"