diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 9950626..ba20349 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -136,19 +136,47 @@ inspection as final proof that SDDM/XFCE works.
 
 ---
 
-## Installer Temp Files
+## Scratch / Temporary Files Policy
+
+Agents must use the project-local scratch workspace for repo work instead of
+system-global `/tmp` paths. Treat the repo root as `$PROJECT_ROOT` and use:
+
+```sh
+PROJECT_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
+PROJECT_TMP="$PROJECT_ROOT/tmp"
+mkdir -p "$PROJECT_TMP"
+```
+
+Use `$PROJECT_TMP/...` for generated checks, transient logs, extracted manifests,
+image-inspection notes, helper-script test output, and other disposable files.
+Do not create new `/tmp/clawdie-*`, `/tmp/colibri-*`, or ad-hoc `/tmp/...` paths
+from agent work unless the operator explicitly asks for a host-global scratch
+location.
+
+Live-USB runtime code usually has no git checkout/project root. In that case,
+prefer an app-owned cache/state path such as `$XDG_CACHE_HOME/clawdie`,
+`$HOME/.cache/clawdie`, `/var/cache/clawdie`, or `/var/db/clawdie` rather than
+`/tmp`. If a runtime helper supports both modes, it should use `$PROJECT_ROOT/tmp`
+when a project root is detectable and fall back to the app-owned live path.
+
+Known platform/tooling exceptions should stay narrow and documented: Xorg's
+standard `/tmp/.X11-unix` / `/tmp/.X*-lock`, bsdinstall handoff files, and the
+installer handoff below.
+
+### Installer Temp Files Exception
 
 The GUI installer uses `/tmp/clawdie-install.conf` to pass wizard values to
-`firstboot.sh`. This is an exemption from the project-local `tmp/` rule.
+`firstboot.sh`. This is the narrow historical exemption from the project-local
+`tmp/` rule.
 
 **Rationale:**
 
-- Live ISO has no project root
+- Live ISO has no project root during the installer handoff
 - Single-user install phase (no other users on the system)
 - File is consumed once by `firstboot.sh` then deleted on reboot
 - PF firewall is not yet running during install
 
-**Applies to:**
+**Applies only to:**
 
 - `/tmp/clawdie-install.conf` — GUI wizard config output
 - `/tmp/clawdie-firstboot.*` — firstboot progress and log (written by rc.d)
diff --git a/live/operator-session/clawdie-join-hive.sh b/live/operator-session/clawdie-join-hive.sh
index 1d0984d..e5cf347 100755
--- a/live/operator-session/clawdie-join-hive.sh
+++ b/live/operator-session/clawdie-join-hive.sh
@@ -127,12 +127,26 @@ fi
 echo "[4/4] Agent ${AGENT_NAME} is live on the Colibri board."
 echo ""
 
-if have clawdie-wallpaper-gen; then
+if have clawdie-wallpaper-gen && have xfconf-query; then
     echo "       Setting identity wallpaper..."
-    if have xfconf-query; then
-        WP="/tmp/clawdie-wallpaper.png"
-        clawdie-wallpaper-gen "$WP" 2>/dev/null && \
-            xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -p /backdrop/screen0/monitor0/workspace0/last-image -s "$WP" 2>/dev/null
+    # Let the generator pick a policy-compliant path (project-local tmp/ or an
+    # app-owned cache dir) and report it on stdout — no host-global /tmp here.
+    WP=$(clawdie-wallpaper-gen 2>/dev/null)
+    if [ -n "$WP" ] && [ -f "$WP" ]; then
+        # XFCE keys backdrops by connector name (monitorHDMI-1, monitoreDP-1, ...),
+        # not a fixed "monitor0". Set every existing last-image property so the
+        # change actually applies on real hardware.
+        _applied=0
+        for _prop in $(xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -l 2>/dev/null | grep '/last-image$'); do
+            xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -p "$_prop" -s "$WP" 2>/dev/null && _applied=1
+        done
+        # First boot / headless: no backdrop props exist yet — create the default.
+        if [ "$_applied" -eq 0 ]; then
+            xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop \
+                -p /backdrop/screen0/monitor0/workspace0/last-image \
+                -n -t string -s "$WP" 2>/dev/null
+        fi
+        xfdesktop --reload >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
     fi
 fi
 
diff --git a/live/operator-session/clawdie-noblank-guard.sh b/live/operator-session/clawdie-noblank-guard.sh
index 64d6bf7..f56290d 100644
--- a/live/operator-session/clawdie-noblank-guard.sh
+++ b/live/operator-session/clawdie-noblank-guard.sh
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@
 # session startup. This guard makes the policy explicit at the desktop level.
 
 _uid="$(id -u 2>/dev/null || echo unknown)"
-_lock="/tmp/clawdie-noblank-guard.${_uid}.lock"
+_runtime_dir="${XDG_RUNTIME_DIR:-${HOME}/.cache/clawdie/runtime}"
+mkdir -p "${_runtime_dir}" 2>/dev/null || true
+_lock="${_runtime_dir}/clawdie-noblank-guard.${_uid}.lock"
 _log="${HOME}/.clawdie-noblank-guard.log"
 
 if ! mkdir "${_lock}" 2>/dev/null; then
diff --git a/live/operator-session/clawdie-vault-fetch b/live/operator-session/clawdie-vault-fetch
index 0a116f1..ccc8ac6 100644
--- a/live/operator-session/clawdie-vault-fetch
+++ b/live/operator-session/clawdie-vault-fetch
@@ -97,7 +97,10 @@ if [ -z "${BW_CLIENTID:-}" ] || [ -z "${BW_CLIENTSECRET:-}" ] || [ -z "${BW_PASS
     exit 1
 fi
 
-WORK="$(mktemp -d "${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/clawdie-vault.XXXXXX")"
+RUNTIME_BASE="${XDG_RUNTIME_DIR:-${HOME}/.cache/clawdie/runtime}"
+mkdir -p "$RUNTIME_BASE"
+chmod 700 "$RUNTIME_BASE" 2>/dev/null || true
+WORK="$(mktemp -d "${RUNTIME_BASE}/clawdie-vault.XXXXXX")"
 # Lock the vault on any exit; never leave an unlocked session behind.
 cleanup() {
     bw lock >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
diff --git a/live/operator-session/clawdie-wallpaper-gen.sh b/live/operator-session/clawdie-wallpaper-gen.sh
index bca2bdd..eb45c8e 100755
--- a/live/operator-session/clawdie-wallpaper-gen.sh
+++ b/live/operator-session/clawdie-wallpaper-gen.sh
@@ -1,33 +1,91 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 # Generate a wallpaper with machine identity overlaid.
-# Run once on first boot, caches result in /tmp/clawdie-wallpaper.png.
-# Requires: ImageMagick (convert), tailscale, colibri socket.
+# Safe to run on first boot; caches result in project-local tmp/ when a project
+# root is available, otherwise in the live user's app-owned cache directory.
+# Requires ImageMagick (magick or convert). Tailscale is optional.
 
-set -e
+CLAWDIE_BG="/usr/local/share/clawdie-iso/wallpapers/clawdie-operator-bg.png"
+XFCE_BG="/usr/local/share/backgrounds/xfce/default.png"
 
-OUT="${1:-/tmp/clawdie-wallpaper.png}"
-BG="/usr/local/share/backgrounds/xfce/default.png"
+have() {
+    command -v "$1" >/dev/null 2>&1
+}
 
-HOST=$(hostname)
-TS_IP=$(tailscale ip -4 2>/dev/null || echo "offline")
-COLIBRI_SOCK="/var/run/colibri/colibri.sock"
-COLIBRI_PORT="9190"
-JAIL_RELEASE=$(freebsd-version 2>/dev/null || uname -r)
+project_root() {
+    if [ -n "${CLAWDIE_PROJECT_ROOT:-}" ]; then
+        printf '%s\n' "$CLAWDIE_PROJECT_ROOT"
+    elif have git && git rev-parse --show-toplevel >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+        git rev-parse --show-toplevel
+    else
+        return 1
+    fi
+}
 
-# Fall back to a solid colour if no background image exists
-if [ ! -f "$BG" ]; then
-    convert -size 1920x1080 xc:'#1a1a2e' "$BG" 2>/dev/null || true
+scratch_dir() {
+    if [ -n "${CLAWDIE_TMP:-}" ]; then
+        printf '%s\n' "$CLAWDIE_TMP"
+    elif _root=$(project_root); then
+        printf '%s/tmp\n' "$_root"
+    elif [ -n "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-}" ]; then
+        printf '%s/clawdie\n' "$XDG_CACHE_HOME"
+    elif [ -n "${HOME:-}" ]; then
+        printf '%s/.cache/clawdie\n' "$HOME"
+    else
+        printf '%s\n' "/var/cache/clawdie"
+    fi
+}
+
+if have magick; then
+    im() { magick "$@"; }
+elif have convert; then
+    im() { convert "$@"; }
+else
+    echo "ERROR: ImageMagick is not installed; expected magick or convert." >&2
+    exit 1
 fi
 
-# One-liner draw: place identity text in the bottom-left corner
-convert "$BG" \
-    -font Helvetica -pointsize 18 -fill '#e0e0e0' \
+SCRATCH_DIR=$(scratch_dir)
+mkdir -p "$SCRATCH_DIR"
+OUT="${1:-${SCRATCH_DIR}/clawdie-wallpaper.png}"
+FALLBACK_BG="${SCRATCH_DIR}/clawdie-wallpaper-base.png"
+
+HOST=$(hostname 2>/dev/null || echo "clawdie-live")
+if have tailscale; then
+    TS_IP=$(tailscale ip -4 2>/dev/null | head -n 1)
+fi
+[ -n "${TS_IP:-}" ] || TS_IP="offline"
+COLIBRI_SOCK="/var/run/colibri/colibri.sock"
+COLIBRI_PORT="9190"
+JAIL_RELEASE=$(freebsd-version 2>/dev/null || uname -r 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
+
+if [ -f "$CLAWDIE_BG" ]; then
+    BG="$CLAWDIE_BG"
+elif [ -f "$XFCE_BG" ]; then
+    BG="$XFCE_BG"
+else
+    BG="$FALLBACK_BG"
+    im -size 1920x1080 xc:'#1a1a2e' "$BG"
+fi
+
+SOCK_STATUS="down"
+[ -S "$COLIBRI_SOCK" ] && SOCK_STATUS="socket ${COLIBRI_PORT}"
+
+# Overlay identity text in the bottom-left corner. Do not require a specific
+# font: ImageMagick's default font is more portable across FreeBSD package sets.
+if ! im "$BG" \
+    -pointsize 18 -fill '#e0e0e0' \
     -annotate +40+900 "hostname    ${HOST}" \
     -annotate +40+930 "tailscale   ${TS_IP}" \
-    -annotate +40+960 "colibri     ${COLIBRI_PORT}" \
+    -annotate +40+960 "colibri     ${SOCK_STATUS}" \
     -annotate +40+990 "jail        ${JAIL_RELEASE}" \
-    -font Helvetica-Bold -pointsize 28 -fill '#8b5cf6' \
+    -pointsize 28 -fill '#8b5cf6' \
     -annotate +40+850 "Clawdie OS" \
-    "$OUT"
+    "$OUT"; then
+    echo "WARNING: identity overlay failed; copying base wallpaper instead." >&2
+    cp "$BG" "$OUT"
+fi
 
-echo "Wallpaper: ${OUT}"
+# stdout is the bare output path (machine-readable for callers that capture it,
+# e.g. `WP=$(clawdie-wallpaper-gen)`); human-facing note goes to stderr.
+echo "Wallpaper: ${OUT}" >&2
+printf '%s\n' "$OUT"
diff --git a/scripts/test-release-gate.sh b/scripts/test-release-gate.sh
index aee0e2b..6bd8db2 100755
--- a/scripts/test-release-gate.sh
+++ b/scripts/test-release-gate.sh
@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@ set -eu
 
 SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd)
 BUILD_SH="${SCRIPT_DIR}/build.sh"
-TMP=$(mktemp -d "${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/release-gate-test.XXXXXX")
+PROJECT_TMP="${SCRIPT_DIR}/tmp"
+mkdir -p "${PROJECT_TMP}"
+TMP=$(mktemp -d "${PROJECT_TMP}/release-gate-test.XXXXXX")
 trap 'rm -rf "${TMP}"' EXIT
 fail=0
 check() { if [ "$1" = "$2" ]; then echo "ok   - $3"; else echo "FAIL - $3 (want '$2', got '$1')"; fail=1; fi; }
diff --git a/skills/iso-build/SKILL.md b/skills/iso-build/SKILL.md
index ba88e90..38443c3 100644
--- a/skills/iso-build/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/iso-build/SKILL.md
@@ -188,7 +188,8 @@ longer needed:
 ```sh
 cd /home/clawdie/ai/colibri
 cargo clean
-rm -rf /tmp/colibri-*
+mkdir -p tmp/iso-build
+rm -rf tmp/iso-build/*
 ```
 
 `colibri-mcp` is part of the out-of-the-box operator USB. `colibri-tui` is