diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/vm-kind-smoke.yml b/.gitea/workflows/vm-kind-smoke.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fdcf7ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/vm-kind-smoke.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+name: VM kind smoke
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+jobs:
+  kind:
+    runs-on: [self-hosted, vm]
+    steps:
+      - name: Verify Docker
+        run: docker info
+
+      - name: Install kind
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          version=v0.33.0
+          curl --fail --location --silent --show-error \
+            --output /tmp/kind "https://kind.sigs.k8s.io/dl/${version}/kind-linux-amd64"
+          curl --fail --location --silent --show-error \
+            --output /tmp/kind.sha256sum "https://kind.sigs.k8s.io/dl/${version}/kind-linux-amd64.sha256sum"
+          printf '%s  %s\n' "$(cut -d ' ' -f1 /tmp/kind.sha256sum)" /tmp/kind | sha256sum --check
+          chmod 0755 /tmp/kind
+
+      - name: Create and delete kind cluster
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          trap '/tmp/kind delete cluster --name smoke' EXIT
+          /tmp/kind create cluster --name smoke --wait 180s
+          /tmp/kind get clusters | grep -Fx smoke
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e292367..0e2178b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ runs-on: [self-hosted, vm]
 - `controller`：接收 Gitea `workflow_job` webhook，将指定 label 的 queued job
   发布到 NATS JetStream。
 - `worker`：领取任务、限制并发，并通过 Pod 或 microVM backend 创建一次性环境。
-- `microvm-runner-launch`：为每个任务创建 COW disk、NoCloud seed 和 TAP，运行
+- `microvm-runner-launch`：为每个任务以 direct I/O 转换出 flat qcow2 root disk、创建 NoCloud seed 和 TAP，运行
   Cloud Hypervisor，退出后完整清理。
 - `guest-runner`：在 guest 中领取一次性 runner registration token，注册 ephemeral
   runner，执行一个 job 后关机。
@@ -51,9 +51,16 @@ pytest
 
 - NATS 密码、webhook secret 和 Gitea registration token 只从文件读取。
 - registration token 不写入 seed image；worker 通过单次 nonce endpoint 交给 guest。
+- guest 启动时从仅监听 microVM bridge 的 worker endpoint 获取固定版本 Runner 和配置
+  资产；基础镜像无需为 Runner 发布而重做。
+- `runner-vm-bootstrap.yaml` 暂时只验证 VM 调度和生命周期，不提供 SPIFFE
+  identity；VM agent attestation 完成前不得将它当作身份链路验证结果。
 - guest runner 使用 `--ephemeral`，每台 VM 只执行一个 job。
 - launcher 只接受 UUID instance ID 和 URL-safe nonce，所有临时文件都位于独立目录。
 - base image 不得包含 runner identity、registration token、SSH 密码或 host key。
+- LXC 内运行 Cloud Hypervisor 必须为 guest memory 启用 `shared=on`。默认的 private
+  memfd 映射会在 guest 写入后同时产生 shmem 与 anonymous CoW charge，使 LXC cgroup
+  对 guest RAM 接近双倍计费。
 
 homelab 的 Kubernetes、OpenBao、LXC、bridge 和容量配置保留在
 `panxiao81/homelab-infra`。
diff --git a/config/runner-vm-bootstrap.yaml b/config/runner-vm-bootstrap.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..93333fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/runner-vm-bootstrap.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+runner:
+  capacity: 1
+  timeout: 3h
+  shutdown_timeout: 1m
+
+host:
+  workdir_parent: /workspace
+
+container:
+  require_docker: false
+  valid_volumes: []
diff --git a/scripts/gitea-microvm-guest-runner b/scripts/gitea-microvm-guest-runner
index 7d8d7ba..041e33f 100755
--- a/scripts/gitea-microvm-guest-runner
+++ b/scripts/gitea-microvm-guest-runner
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ instance=${2:?Gitea instance is required}
 runner_name=${3:?runner name is required}
 runner_labels=${4:?runner labels are required}
 token_file=/run/gitea-runner-registration-token
+config_file=${GITEA_RUNNER_CONFIG_FILE:-/etc/gitea-runner/config-vm-bootstrap.yaml}
+export HOME=${HOME:-/root}
 
 cleanup() {
     rm -f -- "$token_file"
@@ -25,4 +27,5 @@ gitea-runner register \
     --labels "$runner_labels" \
     --token-file "$token_file"
 rm -f -- "$token_file"
-gitea-runner daemon
+gitea-runner daemon --config "$config_file" --once
+echo gitea-runner-job-complete >/dev/ttyS0
diff --git a/scripts/microvm-runner-launch b/scripts/microvm-runner-launch
index b84d0ce..c45956f 100755
--- a/scripts/microvm-runner-launch
+++ b/scripts/microvm-runner-launch
@@ -29,8 +29,13 @@ tap="mvr${instance_id%%-*}"
 overlay="$vm_dir/root.qcow2"
 seed="$vm_dir/seed.img"
 serial="$vm_dir/serial.log"
+log_dir="$state_root/logs"
 
 cleanup() {
+    if test -f "$serial"; then
+        install -d -m 0700 "$log_dir"
+        cp "$serial" "$log_dir/$instance_id.log"
+    fi
     ip link delete "$tap" 2>/dev/null || true
     rm -rf -- "$vm_dir"
 }
@@ -39,7 +44,10 @@ trap cleanup EXIT INT TERM
 test -r "$base_image"
 test -r "$firmware"
 install -d -m 0700 "$state_root/instances" "$vm_dir"
-qemu-img create -q -f qcow2 -F qcow2 -b "$base_image" "$overlay"
+# Cloud Hypervisor cannot open qcow2 backing chains.  Keep each disposable
+# root disk flat and bypass the LXC page cache: caching both a 5 GiB copy and
+# guest RAM can otherwise trigger the container memory limit.
+qemu-img convert -q -T none -t none -f qcow2 -O qcow2 "$base_image" "$overlay"
 
 cat >"$vm_dir/meta-data" <<EOF
 instance-id: $instance_id
@@ -48,7 +56,8 @@ EOF
 cat >"$vm_dir/user-data" <<EOF
 #cloud-config
 runcmd:
-  - [ /usr/local/libexec/gitea-microvm-guest-runner, "$token_url/token/$nonce", "$gitea_instance", "gitea-${instance_id%%-*}", "$runner_labels" ]
+  - [ sh, -c, "curl --fail --silent --show-error --retry 10 --retry-all-errors $token_url/assets/guest-assets.tar.gz | tar -xz -C /" ]
+  - [ /usr/local/libexec/gitea-microvm-guest-runner, "$token_url/token/$nonce", "$gitea_instance", "gitea-vm-${instance_id%%-*}", "$runner_labels" ]
 EOF
 cloud-localds "$seed" "$vm_dir/user-data" "$vm_dir/meta-data"
 
@@ -63,12 +72,16 @@ ip tuntap add dev "$tap" mode tap
 ip link set "$tap" master "$bridge"
 ip link set "$tap" up
 
-timeout --signal=TERM --kill-after=30s "$vm_timeout" "$cloud_hypervisor" \
-    --firmware "$firmware" \
-    --cpus "boot=$cpus" \
-    --memory "size=$memory" \
-    --disk "path=$overlay" \
-    --disk "path=$seed,readonly=on" \
-    --net "tap=$tap,mac=$mac" \
-    --serial "file=$serial" \
-    --console off
+if timeout --signal=TERM --kill-after=30s "$vm_timeout" "$cloud_hypervisor" \
+        --firmware "$firmware" \
+        --cpus "boot=$cpus" \
+        --memory "size=$memory,shared=on" \
+        --disk "path=$overlay,image_type=qcow2,direct=on,sparse=off" \
+        --disk "path=$seed,readonly=on,image_type=raw,direct=on,sparse=off" \
+        --net "tap=$tap,mac=$mac" \
+        --serial "file=$serial" \
+        --console off; then
+    grep -Fq gitea-runner-job-complete "$serial"
+else
+    exit $?
+fi
diff --git a/src/gitea_dynamic_runner/worker.py b/src/gitea_dynamic_runner/worker.py
index b25d402..add5145 100644
--- a/src/gitea_dynamic_runner/worker.py
+++ b/src/gitea_dynamic_runner/worker.py
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ REGISTRATION_TOKEN_FILE = Path(os.environ.get("REGISTRATION_TOKEN_FILE", "/etc/m
 LAUNCHER = os.environ.get("LAUNCHER", "/usr/local/libexec/microvm-runner-launch")
 TOKEN_LISTEN = os.environ.get("TOKEN_LISTEN", "172.30.0.1")
 TOKEN_PORT = int(os.environ.get("TOKEN_PORT", "8787"))
+GUEST_ASSETS = Path(
+    os.environ.get("GUEST_ASSETS", "/opt/gitea-dynamic-runner/guest-assets.tar.gz")
+)
 
 tokens: dict[str, bytes] = {}
 token_lock = asyncio.Lock()
@@ -45,6 +48,13 @@ async def token(request: web.Request) -> web.Response:
     return web.Response(body=value, headers={"Cache-Control": "no-store"})
 
 
+async def guest_assets(_: web.Request) -> web.FileResponse:
+    return web.FileResponse(
+        GUEST_ASSETS,
+        headers={"Cache-Control": "public, immutable"},
+    )
+
+
 async def heartbeat(message: object, stop: asyncio.Event) -> None:
     while True:
         try:
@@ -162,6 +172,7 @@ async def consume() -> None:
 async def main() -> None:
     app = web.Application()
     app.router.add_get("/token/{nonce}", token)
+    app.router.add_get("/assets/guest-assets.tar.gz", guest_assets)
     runner = web.AppRunner(app)
     await runner.setup()
     await web.TCPSite(runner, TOKEN_LISTEN, TOKEN_PORT).start()