diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
index 9103390..d848d3b 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -156,3 +156,32 @@ jobs:
             ${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' && 'git.farh.net/groombook/reset:latest' || '' }}
           cache-from: type=registry,ref=git.farh.net/groombook/cache:reset
           cache-to: type=registry,ref=git.farh.net/groombook/cache:reset,mode=max
+
+      - name: Smoke test seed image (blackhole npmjs.org)
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          IMAGE="git.farh.net/groombook/seed:${{ steps.version.outputs.tag }}"
+          docker pull "$IMAGE"
+          # GRO-1985: pnpm must be a real binary, not a Corepack shim, and must
+          # not try to reach registry.npmjs.org on invocation.
+          docker run --rm \
+            --add-host registry.npmjs.org:127.0.0.1 \
+            --entrypoint="" \
+            "$IMAGE" \
+            sh -c 'set -e; test "$(which pnpm)" = "/usr/local/bin/pnpm"; pnpm --version'
+          echo "seed image: pnpm resolves to /usr/local/bin/pnpm and runs offline ✓"
+
+      - name: Smoke test reset image (blackhole npmjs.org)
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          IMAGE="git.farh.net/groombook/reset:${{ steps.version.outputs.tag }}"
+          docker pull "$IMAGE"
+          # GRO-1985: pnpm must be a real binary, not a Corepack shim, and must
+          # not try to reach registry.npmjs.org on invocation. Validates the
+          # hard requirement from the issue: reset runs offline.
+          docker run --rm \
+            --add-host registry.npmjs.org:127.0.0.1 \
+            --entrypoint="" \
+            "$IMAGE" \
+            sh -c 'set -e; test "$(which pnpm)" = "/usr/local/bin/pnpm"; echo "HOME=$HOME"; pnpm --version'
+          echo "reset image: pnpm resolves to /usr/local/bin/pnpm, HOME=/tmp, runs offline ✓"
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 5fea669..a77a7df 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -3,8 +3,12 @@ FROM node:22-alpine AS base
 # invocations of `pnpm` work without DNS access to registry.npmjs.org.
 # The corepack shim delegates to corepack, which re-validates against
 # npmjs.org on first use — that fails in air-gapped UAT seed/migrate/reset
-# Jobs. GRO-1983 / GRO-1889 / GRO-1909.
+# Jobs. GRO-1983 / GRO-1889 / GRO-1909 / GRO-1981 / GRO-1985.
 RUN npm install -g pnpm@9.15.4
+# Belt-and-braces: disable Corepack's download fallback so that even if a
+# Corepack shim is somehow invoked at runtime, it will not try to fetch
+# pnpm from registry.npmjs.org. Belt for the real-binary trousers. GRO-1985.
+ENV COREPACK_ENABLE_DOWNLOAD_FALLBACK=0
 WORKDIR /app
 
 # Install deps
@@ -26,6 +30,8 @@ RUN pnpm --filter @groombook/types build && \
 # Runtime
 FROM node:22-alpine AS runner
 RUN npm install -g pnpm@9.15.4
+# Same defence-in-depth as base: no Corepack fallback. GRO-1985.
+ENV COREPACK_ENABLE_DOWNLOAD_FALLBACK=0
 WORKDIR /app
 ENV NODE_ENV=production
 
@@ -46,12 +52,18 @@ CMD ["node", "dist/index.js"]
 
 # Migrate stage — runs drizzle-kit migrate against the database
 FROM builder AS migrate
+# pnpm needs a writable HOME for any config/state it writes. With
+# readOnlyRootFilesystem: true and runAsUser: 1000, /home/node is read-only.
+# The job pods mount a writable emptyDir at /tmp; point HOME there. GRO-1985.
+ENV HOME=/tmp
 CMD ["pnpm", "--filter", "@groombook/db", "migrate"]
 
 # Seed stage — populates the database with test data
 FROM builder AS seed
+ENV HOME=/tmp
 CMD ["pnpm", "--filter", "@groombook/db", "seed"]
 
 # Reset stage — drops all tables, re-runs migrations, and re-seeds
 FROM builder AS reset
+ENV HOME=/tmp
 CMD ["pnpm", "--filter", "@groombook/db", "reset"]